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The common theme in Hollywood
is that there are only less than ten stories that can be made into films,
but that everyone uses at least one story and modifies it so much that
you could never connect it to the original story, whatever it may be.
If that were the case, I would like to have John Singleton direct every
one of them. He knows how to add some flavor to his films that's appealing
to anyone who wants some excitement and emotion within the film. Such
is the case with his latest film, "Four Brothers". This is basically
an old fashion western film from the 70s when revenge was the main theme
in those days. Instead of having Clint Eastwood waive his gun with a cowboy
hat, Singleton has four men, all different from each other, and the takes
the setting in the inner city of Detroit, rather than some town in the
outskirts of Mexico. With Mark Wahlberg leading the charge, "Four
Brothers" is a high powered entertaining film filled with enough
wit and emotion.
Written by David Elliot and Paul Lovett, the film starts off with a bang
when an elderly lady, Evelyn Mercer (Flanagan) is shot inside a grocery
store by robbers. The funeral brings back the foster boys she raised for
years. The Mercer brothers are different from each other as explained
by childhood friend now cop, Detective Fowler (Howard). Bobby and Jack
are white, while Angel and Jeremiah are black. Bobby Mercer (Wahlberg)
is the oldest and the hothead one who always gets in trouble with the
law. Angel Mercer (Gibson) is the pretty boy who went to the Marines yet
manages to snag an old Latina girlfriend (Vergara), who still pines for
him. Jeremiah Mercer (Benjamin) is the one who stayed with Evelyn and
paid all the bills when the rest of the brothers left town. Jack Mercer
(Hedlund) is the youngest of the brothers who aspires to be a rock star,
but had a rough childhood before being taken in by Evelyn. After getting
settled in Ma's house and getting reacquainted with their rooms, it's
time to find out why their mother was killed and what's taking the police
so long to get answers. Bobby has no patience in waiting for the right
time to make a move as he interrupts a basketball waiving a gun to get
some answers. When evidence points to a local mob thug named Victor Sweet
(Ejiofor), the brothers spare no time in flushing him out while at the
same time Sweet has his own plan for the brothers.
What makes "Four Brothers" a compelling film is the chemistry
the four leads have with each other. With his previous films centering
on family relationships, Singleton knows how to make the relationship
and emotions between the brothers look genuine. This is a character driven
film with a few car chases and gun shots thrown in for action sequences.
While Wahlberg and Gibson provide the heart pounding scenes with their
performances, it's Chewetel Ejiofor who almost steals the film with his
one-note performance as the no-nonsense thug who will embarrass one of
his henchmen and his wife to get his point across. Just like the old films
of the 70s western films, there are no qualms about killing for revenge,
which is rarely seen in films these days. While Gibson and Singleton have
worked numerous times together and Gibson having done other films, Benjamin,
of the musical group Outkast, is making a fine transition into the acting
fields and a role like this will a long way for him. While there are four
leads, it's clearly Wahlberg's film. He plays his role with vibrancy and
occasional humor, but heartless when he needs to be. After seeing him
electrify in "Hustle and Flow", Howard's role seemed subdued,
yet he manages to have some scenes that shine. Vergara's role was a bit
pointless, and Henson's performance was wasted, but after all, this is
a film about the brothers and revenge and the women in the film are merely
film props and a distraction. Nevertheless, "Four Brothers"
is a pleasurable film filled with humor, explosive scenes, and hilarious
moments.
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