Recent Reviews for Four Brothers
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MCT:July 6, 2008A fun, emotional and action packed film with BROTHERS you believe are real. Bobby Mercer and his brothers are all individual characters set apart from each other except so close in the home and in the heart. It's a wonderful story and played out really well by all the actors. Mark Wahlberg is ofcourse the stand out being the main one and being my favourite actor anyway. Everytime I see the ending (the fight scene) I'm always cheering out "Bobby MERCER!" because the film really engages you and makes you believe what Bobby is doing is the RIGHT way to do things and you just feel for him. This movie deserved alot more recognition than it got.
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MCT:July 2, 2008I thought this would be utter crap.
why?
because it looks it, and because my cousin picked it....
but it was better than i thought! -
MCT:July 1, 2008
Exceeded my expectations!! I've yet to see Mark Wahlberg in anything he didn't play well! I enjoyed this one ~
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MCT:June 15, 2008"Evelyn was in this city for a long time. She saw a lot that was terrible, but she stayed hopeful. She still believed that things were getting better, sometimes despite all evidence. And that's a hard thing to do, stay hopeful. Even when you can't find a reason."
Four Brothers is a gripping, gritty, brutal, emotionally powerful action-packed urban drama from Oscar-nominated director John Singleton (who reached success with his debut drama Boyz n the Hood). Unfortunately, upon release I judged the book by its cover and awarded this film the dismissive cold shoulder with little intention of approaching it. I didn't know much about the plot, but nonetheless the poster looked stale and didn't flare an interest in my mind at all. As it turns out, Four Brothers is an exceptional crowd-pleaser that surpassed all my expectations.
The film is a testosterone-fuelled drama with an equal mix of humour, action and drama. This is the furthest thing from your typical fluffy action film that boasts someone like Van Damme or Steven Seagal as the film's primary acting talent. There is violent action aplenty (one of the film's primary action scenes I already want to see again), but what makes this film so excellent is that it's not just a string of continuous action scenes. The filmmakers also boast an impressive amount of emotionally-driven moments that are fuelled by the powerhouse performances. From a simple plot synopsis, one would probably think that this is a straightforward, predictable clichéd-ridden story of achieving retribution. On the contrary, the results are simply stunning: director John Singleton has great skills when behind the camera, bringing this action-packed drama to life with visually remarkable consequences. The film is well-paced, taut, stylised and violent - the filmmakers never attempt to hold back on displaying heavy violence and bloodshed.
In essence, Four Brothers is a modern-day Western. But this is not your ordinary Western: this is an urban-infused, Western-style drama set in the inner city of snow-gripped Detroit. The typical spaghetti Westerns would portray a lone gunman riding into town to face the bad guys head-on. In this case, the film trades in the single gunman approach and instead places four men as an alternative. The four central protagonists are the adopted Mercer brothers: two white, two black - Bobby (Wahlberg), Angel (Gibson), Jeremiah (Benjamin) and Jack (Hedlund). After the brothers lived through their childhood, they all went their separate ways. Their mother is a much respected elderly citizen named Evelyn Mercer (Flanagan). Evelyn is a well-liked lady with a penchant for helping the lives of troublesome young kids. One night, Evelyn's tranquil life is disrupted when an apparent grocery store robbery results in her being gunned down in cold blood. Her funeral attracts the four brothers who hadn't been together since their childhood period concluded. These estranged brothers reunite and seek revenge on whoever is responsible for the murder of their mother. The police don't appear to be doing anything to solve the case, so the brothers take the law into their own hands and commence their pursuit for justice.
As the plot thickens and the investigation lengthens, it becomes apparent that the "accidental death" of their mother might not have been unintentional after all.
Four Brothers is visceral filmmaking that satisfied my every requirement for entertainment. Like I stated previously, the film has lots of action but it's not a ludicrous string of action with no heart. At the core of the film there is heart and an important sense of camaraderie. Running at approximately 100 minutes, the film successfully packs one heck of a wallop! It's tightly edited and encompasses a lot to examine underneath while not spending an overwhelming amount of time on unnecessary drama. To establish the characters there's no extensive dialogue scene; instead they are introduced when they are being reunited at the funeral and the cops discuss the history behind each individual. Without being corny or poorly written, this is an extremely creative way to feed the audience everything they need to know before proceeding into the nitty gritty.
I was especially fond of the atmosphere the film creates. The use of carefully-chosen music (mainly hip-hop) gives the unmistakable impression of an unsavoury neighbourhood. Leave it up to John Singleton: a man who completely understands the style, genre and background. You can also expect a thread of unpredictability: the audience will be lead down a continuous path of red herrings until the film's wholly satisfying conclusion. Another completely admirable element is that the filmmakers are not afraid to be relentless. One character is treated with about as much sentimentality as the next. They're never afraid of the consequences when one man is killed off.
One of the main qualities of the film is the strong sense of companionship and solidarity between the four lead characters. Mark Wahlberg is an outstanding actor who infuses a sense of brutality and conviction in his portrayal. So to speak, his role is that of the older brother who feels compelled to be an authority figure for his younger siblings. Wahlberg's character Bobby is able to endeavour an older-brother-type take-charge attitude that helps bring his three brothers together in their search for their adoptive mother's killers through the callous streets of Detroit. This is a veteran Hollywood actor amidst a fundamental cast of unknowns who mainly have a background in the music industry (a notable fact is that Wahlberg also has a past in the music business). Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and young Garrett Hedlund are the other three brothers who appear to be equally as concentrated as Wahlberg. All four actors deliver amazing performances and fall squarely into the "anti-hero" category. The excellent chemistry between the four leads adds to the feel of the film. Altogether they are the Western-style lone gunman out to execute the guilty party. Terrence Howard and Josh Charles are both quite extraordinary as the cops who aren't willing to allow the four brothers to exercise their own form of street justice.
Overall, Four Brothers is a film one would never expect to be so excellent. At the end of the day it's only flawed faintly in the script department in the sense of over-length and a few hollow lines of dialogue. Okay, I know what you must be thinking. Rappers being actors...doesn't sound too promising does it? Before I watched the movie I must admit I was afraid of this and the thought that the film might be drowning in hip-hop music that will make you want to slice your ear-drums out! You don't need to worry at all, as Four Brothers does not submit to these anticipated flaws. The film is a compelling drama permeated with an equal dosage of humour, drama and action. To quote a reviewer, this is a "gritty urban drama". Bottom line: an excellent Friday night at the movies! -
MCT:June 15, 2008Maaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnn. Bobby! I've got your back.
This movie was awesome, probably because I love justice and those who do the right thing (even when the methods may appear a little unorthodoxed). Now, I don't think they should have taken the law into their own hands (uuuummmm, ok in this instance I'm really feeling their point of view even though I know it's wrong), but I'd have all of their backs anyway.
I mean, what do you do when they mess with family? EXACTLY!!! -
MCT:June 15, 2008
Emotional, but again, violence is not the answer..
Typical revenge story with the usual stupid hoodlums and lots of gasoline. Seriously. -
MCT:June 11, 2008
fell in love with it when I first watched it, it's not something that you see yourself liking but you wind up loving it ^^
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MCT:June 9, 2008Cool movie. I've always been a fan of gritty, action flicks. Still, the sheer number of leading actors in this film was slightly distracting. Aside from that, they obviously didn't have any chemistry at all with each other. To make a long story short, it was the cast that killed this movie.
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MCT:June 1, 2008I had no idea what was going on in this movie. The plot was twisted and totally ridiculous. Who shoots every person they meet? While the idea of a mother taking in troubled boys is interesting, it was paid barely any attention in "Four Brothers". The entire movie focused on see-that gun fights and an angry Mark Wahlberg. Don't waste you time on this flick.
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MCT:May 24, 2008
Took me by surprise. A blend of 70s street vigilance with an atmosphere found in most good westerns.
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MCT:May 19, 2008
How can you say no to a movie with so many hot guys!! Garrett Hedlund!!!! *drool* big time
Obviously I cried!!! -
MCT:May 8, 2008
Really good film, good turns from all the actors in it, the main 4 and Victor Sweet, all really good. Lost my zest for writing reviews so they short now
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MCT:May 5, 2008
This movie is an outgoing adventure with some funny twists. i'm not gonna lie, there is a sad ending but it leaves you smiling.
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MCT:April 30, 2008I'm sure this is "Masterpiece Theater" for some people, but for me...it was all I could do to sit through this cliche riddled mess of a film. I can normally sit through justa bout anything.
It was as if it couldn't decide on what it wanted to be...
Parts of it felt almost like a 1970's "blackploitation" film, but without any of "coolness" or the "soul".
Parts of it felt like a 1970's "After School Special", full of (almost nauseatingly) saccharine moments, but without any of the "kitsch" that made those things bearable.
I think Singleton did his best, with what he had (it's the action scenes that got it the star and a half)...but most of the writing was just SO bad. There is only so much a Director can do.
On a positive note, I didn't have to waste any money or valuable Netflix time on this. A friend of ours (who LOVES this film) let us borrow it. It was returned without discussion.
Now if only I could find a way to get the 109 minutes of my life back that were wasted on viewing this film. -
MCT:April 24, 2008
A very well nuanced movie! I loved the way they mixed in all of the elements of action and drama, especially how Mark Wahlberg played the part. Tyrese Gibson is, like in Transformers, brilliant in his role. The sequences were very well played and it kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The only real shame is that we didn't get to see their mother in more scenes, she was definitely a character that warranted more scenes. Each brother had a very distinct personality, yet they seemed to get along so well, while of course trading a few hits with both words and fists, brotherly love. Two thumbs up.
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MCT:April 21, 2008
Never mess with Momma! Revenge is a bitter pill that these 4 men had to prescribe for the killing of their mom. A must see...a movie of vengeance you will always remember.
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MCT:April 13, 2008
this movie is an outgoing adventure with some funny twists. i'm not gonna lie, there is a sad ending but it leaves you smiling. (0ne of my favor movies)
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MCT:April 8, 2008
OMG I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I WATCH IT EVERYTIME IT COMES ON!! its so sad when the youngest brother dies.. but its a kick ass movie
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MCT:April 5, 2008
excellent movie
in this crazy world, 4 sexy brothers go out to seek revenge
who could ask for more? -
MCT:March 29, 2008
Spectacular action entertainment. A powerful film. A great movie. Fast-paced, thrilling, frequently funny and grippingly emotional. Pulse-pounding, compelling and electrifying. The chemistry of the four actors is terrific. Mark Wahlberg, Tyreese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garret Hedlund all turn in powerhouse performances right from the heart. A total knockout. It's a hard hitting action-packed thriller. It's raw emotion, riveting drama, wicked humor and explosive action put into one great film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Director, John Singleton's best film since Boy's 'N the Hood. A full-throttle adreniline-rush.
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MCT:March 21, 2008
Went to see a preview of it two nights ago, and was presently surprised with it.
Very good movie. Despite the fact that it's about four brothers avenging their mothers death, there is a lot of humor in it. The brothers give each other sh*t all the time, but you can tell they love each other. Mark Whalberg (sp?) did a good job, but i think my favorite character was Jackie, played by Garrett Hedlund. There was a lot of action, a lot of violence, very graphic, but it was well done and believable. Not exactly a movie for children, but it's a family movie. All in all, it's very funny and uplifting (towards the end), but very sad. -
MCT:March 12, 2008
Not a bad watch. Although it could do better with some character building. I just wish that the director didn't have the comical scenes of their deceased mother visiting them every once in a while (even in their memories). Still, not a bad watch.
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MCT:March 10, 2008
Great movie. Just to many fricker frackers (the 'F' word) for my tastes. But neat idea for a movie.....and Garrett Hedlund is gorgeous...I wouldn't say it's the best movie evar.
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MCT:March 9, 2008
Four adopted brothers go on the hunt for the person who murdered their mother.It shows what four adopted brothers go through to nab the person and get justice.
