What Do The Critics Say?

"Gray includes three truly breathtaking action sequences, the equal of any action blockbuster made this year." Jeffrey M Anderson COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID "Time will tell, but from where I'm sitting this deceptively routine cop movie runs deep. In fact, it already looks like a classic. Cagney and Tracy would be proud." Paul Clinton CNN "A desperate violence and urgency spills out in the film’s flash-point set-pieces – not least a sensational car chase, shot through a windscreen, hammering rain and a blur of fear." Jonathan Crocker TIME OUT "In many ways this traditional-looking flick gives off a vibe of been there-seen it but at the same time it pulsates with a raw energy and rhythm all its own." Pete Hammond MAXIM "This is an atmospheric, intense film, well acted, and when it's working it has a real urgency." Roger Ebert CHICAGO SUN-TIMES "Gray knows how to sell the idea of unalterable destiny with a car chase: That’s the mark of a real action director. We Own the Night plays like gangbusters." David Edelstein NEW YORK MAGAZINE

"We Own the Night is a gripping tale of two brothers. This movie is spellbinding and I found myself captivated throughout. It is a dark and gripping thriller starring some of the best. Joaquin has a stand out performance, being enticed by his every word and action. A true Hollywood thriller, with some of the best action and cinematography this year. Make sure to catch this one. You won’t want to miss Phoenix, Wahlberg and Duvall owning the theatres in this flick." Jolene Mendez ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM "Writer/director James Gray uses the strengths of his top-notch actors to transform "We Own the Night" into something more than a standard-issue cop tale." Donald Munro FRESNO BEE "It's a sensational picture, best received by minds open to generous cinematic brush strokes of right and wrong: undeniably thrilling on primitive, fist-clenching level." Brian Orndorf eFILMCRITIC "A world shrouded by danger, suspicion, and family disloyalty comprised of commonplace characters brought to life by exceptional actors." Diana Saenger REVIEWEXPRESS "A grown-up thriller about morality and the consequences of choice, We Own The Night harks back to an earlier era. A cast of heavy-hitters give it all a solid, polished sheen." Jamie Russell CHANNEL 4 FILM

The Inside Story The idea for "We Own The Night" came from a New York Times photograph of a police funeral. "In the photo, all of these grown men were hugging, in tears after one of their fellow officers had been killed in the line of duty," recalls director James Gray. "And the image had such tremendous emotion." In fact, 1988 was the height of New York City’s crack epidemic, the homicide rate was soaring, and the overall crime rate was 73 percent above the national average. At the same time, disco flourished as George Michael, Gloria Estefan and Taylor Dane rode the music charts. Nightclub life was thriving, particularly in the bustling Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach, home to the largest community of Russians outside the former Soviet Union. It was that intensity that Gray wanted to capture. "I was anxious to make something not just thrilling, but explosive, dramatic. And frankly, filled with action." But, he also revealed that he didn't want the film to be an autobiographical. "This is a very personal movie," Gray said. "That doesn’t mean autobiographical. As I was writing the screenplay, I used elements that came from local news stories as well as things I learned by going on police ride-alongs. I found many stories about people who, because of their circumstances, hid their family connections to police. Everything you see in the film came from real events but I also used my relationships with my father and brother. So I did steal a lot from my background as well." Gray says "We Own The Night" is influenced by the American films of the nineteen seventies. Films which dealt with history, class and politics. Films like "The Godfather", "Chinatown" and "The French Connection". Eager to re-team with Gray after working with him on "The Yards" were Golden Globe winners Joaquin Phoenix ("Walk The Line") and Mark Wahlberg ("The Departed"), both of whom have earned considerable acclaim since working together on Gray’s 2000 film. Wahlberg, who was critically praised for his role as the tough-talking Boston Det Sgt Dignam in Martin Scorseses Oscar-winning film "The Departed", which picked uo Oscar's for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and, Best adapted screenplay. Once again, Wahlberg would be cast as a law enforcement officer, only this time the his characters rank would rise to Captain. In fact both men were so enthusiastic about a second collaboration with Gray, they signed on as producers. "James cares. He truly cares about film. In an age of such self-conscious irony, that is a rare quality. James is willing to dig through glass to uncover the truth in each moment, and he stimulates those around him to do the same. I couldn't wait to get back into the ring with him and explore the emotional machinations of this family," the 2005 Hollywood Film Award winning Actor of the Year, Phoenix (who made his feature film debut in "Spacecamp") said. "James is incredibly talented and working with him and Joaquin on "The Yards" was a great experience," says 2006 National Board of Review Award winner Wahlberg, whose breakout role as Eddie Adams in "Boogie Nights" established him as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. "I was especially flattered that he wrote the part of Joseph in "We Own The Night" for me." Also returning to the fold is producer Nick Wechsler, who worked with Gray on his two previous films, "Little Odessa" and "The Yards". "James developed such a strong rapport with these two actors. He was thinking of them throughout his research and writing process, it was almost like a shortcut to making a successful movie," Wechsler ("North Country" & "Requiem for a Dream") notes. "Mark has tremendous sensitivity, a real emotional truth about him. He has a kind of blue-collar earnestness that would remind you of John Garfield from late 1940's movies. Joaquin is wonderful in a very different way," says Gray, who explained, "He reminds me of Montgomery Clift or Al Pacino, someone who has got tons of internal conflict and is about to explode any second." Academy Award winning Best Actor Rober Duval ("Tender Mercies", 1984) was cast as the young men's father, Dept Chief Albert Grusinsky. "Joaquin calls Duvall the Jedi master," says Gray. "You can throw Duvall any curveball and he’ll come right back at you in character and he’ll do something amazing. The level of the craft is ridiculous." Four time Golden Globe winner Duvall ("Apocalypse Now", "Tender Mercies", TV'S "Lonesome Dove" & "Stalin") was in Virginia driving home from a vacation when Gray called and asked him to take the role. He already had heard how talented Gray was, through fellow actor James Caan (1999 Hollywood Film Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Acting). "And I found that to be true on this," says Duvall. "He’s one of the best directors I’ve worked with in my whole career, as good as any of them." Of his male co-stars he says, "I was glad I could play it, and work with these very talented people. Joaquin, or Wackeen as I call him, and Mark are really talented guys." Gray was watching TV in a New York hotel room when he saw an interview with actress Eva Mendes. "She had a look of sophisticated bemusement in the interview," admits Gray. "And I thought I’d like to meet her and see what she’s about." What he found in her was sensitivity and self-awareness, both ideal qualities for the role of Bobby’s loyal girlfriend, Amada Juarez. To research her role as a party-girl who is caught up in the club world of the '80s, Mendes spent time with former Studio 54 owner Ian Schrager. The actress who played Alonzo's girlfriend Sara in "Training Days", says she used the time she spent with Schrager to pick his brain. What she discovered was "a crazy free for all moment when there were zero consequences." "Because I knew Joaquin and Mark I knew what they were capable of and Bobby Duvall is a legend," explains Gray. "But Eva pleased and surprised me most, and has a tremendous reservoir of emotion inside. It’s a great thing to see." Gray’s script and his solid relationship with outstanding actors attracted the attention of 2929 Productions, an entertainment company established by Todd Wagner ("Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room") and Mark Cuban. The company’s president, Marc Butan ("Shattered Glass"), learned about the project and was immediately drawn to the characters. "I thought the characters in this world were fantastic," he said. Elaborating on the story, Butan says, "It’s a movie set in the cops versus underworld wars, but it’s also a story about Bobby’s family situation. It combines action and drama in a way that serves both." "What James found in this era was that the Russian Mafia was on the rise as the Italian mafia was on the decline. The rules of engagement were breaking down between cops and criminals," Butan notes. A high point of "We Own The Night" is it's 'look'. Cinematographer Joaquin Baca-Asay had impressed Gray with the work he did on the Dylan Kidd indie film "Rodger Dodger", which the director had seen when he was participating in a Sundance lab in Utah. He wanted to meet Baca-Asay because his photography was fantastic in, as Gray puts it, a "very un-showy, very immediate way." When the two of them met and began to talk, Baca-Asay recommended that they look at the artwork of Vincent Desiderio, an American contemporary realist. "He made me go out and buy this artist’s book," Gray recalls, "and of course there were fabulous and macabre paintings but there was this beautiful lighting to them. I thought, this guy is really interesting." Capturing both the authentic texture and iconic imagery of New York in the late 1980's was the task assigned to production designer Ford Wheeler, who had been the set decorator on Gray’s two previous films. "Production design is an ability to understand character and interpret in terms of material possessions and environment," suggests Gray. "Ford had been with me from the first two movies and he really knew my taste." Wheeler, whose previous work includes the highly contrversial Nicole Kidman film "Birth", was pleased to re-team with someone who has strong artistic tastes. "James always wants a certain style," Wheeler said. "He likes the colors to be modest and have a painterly element. In fact, James and Michael Clancy, the costume designer and Joaquin, the DP and I all went to the Metropolitan Museum, and we looked at classical paintings and discussed the ways in which we wanted our movie to have those classical but beautiful elements." Shooting the film in New York City was a priority for Gray and fortunately, the producers backed him up. "New York just gives the movie the authenticity and realism it needs," says "Wonderland" producer Butan. "Down to the faces of the crowd, the extras, the looks of the buildings, it needed to be real and gritty and differentiate itself from a lot of other films or television shows. The supporting actors and extras in our movie are real-deal New York." Many cinemagoers will be disappointed to discover that the El Caribe Club doesn't exist. The exterior and interior shots audiences see in "We Own The Night" is a combination of three locations. The clubs dramatic exterior was Reverend Ike’s Christ United "Palace Cathedral" in Upper Manhattan’s Washington Heights section. The bar of the club was filmed in the 1920s era Loews Theatre in the Bronx. The El Caribe’s enormous dance floor belongs to that of the iconic Webster Hall in Lower Manhattan. During the ten-week shoot, the cast and crew shot in the boroughs of the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, often in the seediest neighborhoods, to capture the feel and texture of pre-Guiliani New York. Synopsis

Joseph Grusinsky and Bobby Green inhabit two conflicting worlds in late 1980s New York, the former becoming a cop and the latter is the popular manager of "El Caribe", the legendary Russian-owned nightclub in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. Bobby spends his evenings in a den of iniquity, indulging in drugs, alcohol, and gambling, with his gorgeous girlfriend Amada never far from his arm. Their two worlds meet when the two men's father, Deputy Chief Albert 'Bert' Grusinsky, together with Joseph, asks Bobby for information about the patron of the club, Vadim, who is the nephew of the club's squeaky clean owner, and a dangerous member of the Russian criminal underworld. Initially Bobby sides with Vadim until the cops raid the club. Humiliated by Joseph, Vadim hits back, attempting to assassinate Joseph. With his brother lying in hospital fighting for his life, Bobby is forced to rethink his loyalty.

The Verdict "Even thought at times you get a distinct feeling of 'déjà vu' and, despite the fact that there are some truly ludicrous moments in "We Own The Night", it is still a very rewarding experience watching Duval, Wahlberg, Phoenix, Veadov and Mendes go about their business. While many cinemagoers will make obvious comparisons with "The Departed", director/writer David Gray has managed to pull together a product that is, when it comes to the genre, a stand alone product. While the films foundation features the much used Russian Mafia, drugs and family, there's enough action, suspense and, the thrill of a deadly car chase to satisfy the need of the market segment "We Own The Night" is targeting. Excellent cinematography, locations and characters also drive this film. Highly recommended. 4 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "WE OWN THE NIGHT" stars .......
Joaquin Phoenix ["Signs", "The Village", "Ladder 49" and "Walk the Line"]; Eva Mendes ["Stuck On You", "Hitch" and "v"]; Mark Wahlberg ["The Perfect Storm", "Four Brothers", "The Departed" and "The Shooter"]; Four Time Golden Globe Award winner Robert Duvall ["The Gingerbread Man", "The Sixth Day", "John Q" and "Thank You for Smoking"]; Tony Musante ["The Detective", "The Deep End of the Ocean" and "The Yards"]; Paul Herman ["New York Stories", "Heat", "Cop Land" and "15 Minutes"] and Alex Veadov ["Contact", "Air Force One" and "Thirteen Days"] as Vadim Nezhinski.
"WE OWN THE NIGHT" was .......
directed by James Gray ["The Yards" and "Little Odessa"]; screenplay by James Gray ["The Yards" and "Little Odessa"]; set decoration by Catherine Davis ["A Kiss Before Dying", "Autumn in New York", "Tuck Everlasting" and "Brokeback Mountain"]; art direction by James Feng ["The Jackal", "Signs", "The Village" and "Inside Man"]; costume design by Michael Clancy ["The Yards", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", "The Guru" and "Trust the Man"]; production design by Ford Wheeler ["Any Given Sunday", "The Yards" and "Stranger Than Fiction"]; edited by John Axelrad ["Boogeyman", "Slither" and "The Messengers"]; cinematography by Joaquin Baca-Asay ["Chocolate for Breakfast", "Super Troopers" and "P.S."]; original music by Wojciech Kilar ["I Remember", "The Pianist" and "Vendetta"]. Who's Who?

Joaquin Phoenix Eva Mendes Mark Wahlberg Robert Duvall Tony Musante Robert C Kirk Ed Koch Fred Burrell Alex Veadov Dominic Colon Danny Hoch Oleg Taktarov Moni Moshonov Antoni Corone Craig Walker Elena Solovey Maggie Kiley Paul Herman Claudia Lopez Kate Condidorio Edward Shkolnikov Katya Savina Matthew Djentchouraev Scott Nicholson

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Robert 'Bobby' Green Amada Capt Joseph 'Joe' Grusinsky Dept Chief Albert Grusinsky Capt Jack Shapiro Sergeant Provenzano Mayor Commissioner Ruddy Vadim Nezhinski Freddie Jumbo Falsetti Pavel Lubyarsky Marat Buzhayev Michael Solo Russell De Keifer Kalina Buzhayev Sandra Grusinsky Capt Spiro Giavannis Claudia Hazel Eli Mirichenko Eli & Masha's Daughter Eli & Masha's Son Nat the Cop

Run Time 117 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Universal - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.