Four Brothers

Four Brothers

2005

Action

Rated: R

Running Time: 109 minutes

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson, Terrence Howard

Directed By: John Singleton

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Outline

After the sudden murder of their adoptive mother four unlikely delinquent brothers come back to town to find out what really happened.

Review

Gangster movies along with hip hop music have evolved to a whole new level in the last 20 or so years. Gone are the days of raw and gritty struggles of street youth that you used to find in films like Boyz n the Hood and Menace to Society. They have been replaced with more glamorized films of this sort where star power and entertainment win out over the actual substance of street survival and hustle. Director John Singleton is no stranger to gangster type movies having done films like Boyz n the Hood and Higher Learning in the past and has transitioned quite well into Four Brothers. This film hovers somewhere along the mediocre border with a few forced and unbelievable scenes but does more right than wrong in keeping the viewer pleased. When Mark Wahlberg isn’t dribbling a basketball in this movie saying “who has got the rock now” he is actually a great lead in this film. Wahlberg coupled with his 3 brothers played by Gibson, Benjamin, and Hedlund form this dysfunctional group that you could follow with ease. Revenge is a usually a sweet thing to witness on the big screen and this film was no different. The Brothers muscle their way through the streets of Detroit with impunity. They want to get to the bottom of their mothers murder and will not take no for an answer. This movie has a little bit of everything for the street action lover. Plenty of gun play, car chases, and blood make for an unbelievable but very entertaining film. Terrence Howard playing cop Lt. Green does a good job of introducing a little bit of reality in a film that takes so many liberties with inane storyline. So it goes to show you that evolution of a genre in the wrong direction can still be viable when left to the right people to do it. I do give this movie my recommendation as its entertainment value outweighed the ridiculousness of most of the storyline and Wahlberg showed when he is not linked with M Night he can be a great lead.

T Factor + If you do not need strong believable storylines this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you need more substance than style in your movies then this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: The Town, Gone Baby Gone