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We Own the Night (2007)
We Own the Night (2007)
2007 | Action, Drama
6
6.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Crime movie for crime movie fans
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is a crime film for crime movie fans. It has it all, from sex, violence, wires and gritty hits. But at its heart is family, here driven by the two leads, Mark Wahlberg and Jequium Phoenix, reunited in yet another of James Grey's films. The tone is dark, with a realistic look as we are taken on trip back to 1988 and a fictional cop family, led by the Deputy Chief Of Police (NYPD) Robert Duvall, who is the father to Wahlberg's up and coming cop, with Phoenix's nightclub manager, who is not a criminal as such, but is a disappointment to his family.

As the trio become embroiled in an organised crime syndicate, they find themselves under a very personal attack and must take down the mob boss to save their lives. The problem with this film is that it plods its way through, lacking enough tension or high key performances to carry, what to me, should have been a taunt screenplay. Instead, it's a bit flat, with Phoenix's trademark sleepy performance. On the other hand, it's quite good, driven by real motivations and characters, is what saves this from 5/10 rating is a fantastically low-key car chase which looked and felt phenomenal, ending with tragedy which would drive the story in a more dubious direction.

Phoenix will end up being granted special dispensation to become a cop in order to track down the mobster, a plot point that I found to be a little far-fetched, though maybe this sort of thing has happened, I don't know but it just tipped the film over the edge of plausibility. I feel that We Own The Night, the motto of the now disbanded NYPD Street Crime Unit, which is headed up here by the fictional Captain Joseph Grusinsky (Wahlberg) thinks very highly of itself as a top quality crime drama, up there with the likes of The Godfather (1972) and Heat (1995), but it is not. It's good and better if you like the genre, but this is a film set in the late 80′s, made in the style of The Godfather light, which was a quintessential 1970′s movie. It needed to pack more of a punch or have some of the style which films such as those of Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese.

A decent story, good cinematography and noble effort but failed to blow me away.
  
Baby Driver (2017)
Baby Driver (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy
Casting, soundtrack, story (0 more)
Spacey is creepys (0 more)
Driving, music and heists
Contains spoilers, click to show
I went onto this thinking it was just a film about a heist crew getaway driver, in truth it is much deeper.
Baby, a talented driver (played by Ansel Elgort) is a quirky likeable slightly weird character.
We quickly come to learn he is in debt to a crime boss Doc (played creepily by Kevin Spacey) for a mistake made several years earlier.
He is used as the driver for every one of Doc's planned heists with colourful criminals (played by Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez and Jamie Foxx), this is unusual as Doc changes the whole crew for each heist except for Baby whom is used again and again due to his driving talent.
From here there is lots of action and crime, we also however learn about Baby's difficult upbringing and love of music and how that all ties in with the movie.
There is of course the awkward introduction of a love interest Debora (played by Lily James). In the later scenes there is more crime, action and death with twists of revenge.
All in this is a complex and deeply moving take on a crime film where we find ourselves rooting for the main character and hoping he makes it, if he does or not, you will have to see for yourself.
The soundtrack is also very good.
  
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Books Editor (673 KP) shared own list

Sep 26, 2017
There have been some new voices in crime fiction, including Jane Harper (The Dry), soon to be a feature film by Reece Witherspoon, and some veteran writers like John Grisham (Camino Island).

And if you're still hungering for psychological thrillers, you may be sated with JP Delany's The Girl Before.

Without doubt, there has been some big releases for lovers of all the main crime fiction genres.


Camino Island

Camino Island

John Grisham

7.5 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a secure vault deep below Princeton University’s...

Want You Gone

Want You Gone

Chris Brookmyre

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Want You Gone is the superb new psychological thriller from million-plus award-winning bestseller...


Thriller
Say Nothing

Say Nothing

Brad Parks

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Judge Scott Sampson doesn’t brag about having a perfect life, but the evidence is clear: A...


Thriller
The Girl Before

The Girl Before

J.P. Delaney

7.7 (25 Ratings) Rate It

Book

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER THE SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH THE SIMON MAYO RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB...

Jericho's War

Jericho's War

Gerald Seymour

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Jericho's War is a relentlessly powerful novel of our times from 'the best thriller writer in the...

and 5 other items
     
     
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)
2017 | Action, Drama
By stitching together a medieval fantasy epic with a Guy Ritchie crime caper, Legend of the Sword delivers a King Arthur re-telling that stands on its own and is surprisingly unique
Critic- Sandy Schaefer
Original Score- 3 out of 5

Read Review: http://screenrant.com/king-arthur-legend-sword-reviews/
  
I Saw the Devil (2011)
I Saw the Devil (2011)
2011 | International, Mystery
engaging & exciting tale of revenge, love, sexual assault, family & crime (2 more)
genuinely thrilling at times
fantastic final scene
a little on the long side - this isn’t a major issue and isn’t something that usually bothers me but i did feel that the film slightly overstated its welcome & could have been slightly briefer (0 more)
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated Hostage (2005) in Movies

Mar 3, 2018  
Hostage (2005)
Hostage (2005)
2005 |
7
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A great crime thriller as a mafia accountant is taken hostage at his state of the art home. Bruce has to play negotiater while the mafia have his family. Great build up in tension as the clock starts ticking down for Bruce to do his bit and the stakes are raised.