Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Four Brothers

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Posted by Will Wheatley Uhl (Member # 2103) on 08-12-2005, 05:53 PM:

I was amazed at this movie, maybe its because my expectations were super low, but this film came out on top for thursday night screenings as far as Im concerned.

Posted by Jonathan M. Crist (Member # 413) on 08-12-2005, 11:20 PM:

I believe that this is just another example of Paramount mining its vault for remakes. The last time I saw this picture it was called "The Sons of Katie Elder".

Just where is John Wayne when we need him?

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 08-13-2005, 01:12 AM:

I found it very interesting ... here in the South ... to see an auditorium of black people whooping and cheering as Mark Wahlberg kicked a black guy's ass ...

Posted by Carey Barber (Member # 1586) on 08-13-2005, 09:42 AM:

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

This movie has nothing special going for it. However, because I had really low expectations going in, I was glad to see it was not God-awful either.

The best parts of the movie were the comedic elements (which were pretty funny), whereas the action, dialogue, and plotline were pretty lame and unrealistic.

**Slight Spoiler**
I really hated the hallucinations of 'Mom' that each of the 4 brothers had. Very cheesy.

This was another movie that had been churned out without much thought, but at least it was kinda entertaining and a crowd pleaser.

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 08-13-2005, 02:23 PM:

Carey, I agree. Very cheesy.
Overall, I liked it. I thought it was pretty good.
Having never seen the John Wayne film I can't really say how it stacks up.
There were a few parts where the dialog didn't fit, it wasn't raw and gritty enough for the context wherease other parts were.
Still a good watch though. It's doing moderately well over here so far but I think word of mouth will pick it up.
And it had a decent ending too.

3/5

Oh, and how about that Get Rich or Die Tryin' attached trailer...now THAT movie's going to be crap!

Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 08-14-2005, 01:57 AM:

You will not get bored during the movie.
But some of the acting in this movie is as bad as that of some bit actors in a direct to video movie especially the horrible actress who played the mom. She was so bad people were laughing during all her scenes.

Singleton's direction was very erratic in this movie. People were down on the Shaft remake by Singleton, but I felt that movie and even his Fast and the Furious seqel were more polished as a theatrical features than Four Brothers. The first half especially was very awkward with background music(some cheap synth) right out of a very special episode from your typical sitcom.

The scenes with the mom were more cringeworthy than the acting in Deathwish 4.

It is ironic that in a movie where some actors weren't at their strongest, Marky Mark actually performs a good performance as a lead(i usually like him as an ensemble actor). Andre 3000 was pretty decent too.

The scenes with the girlfriend were just simply annoying.

The villain who was played by the guy from Dirty Pretty Things was having fun, but still no match for the villains from Singleton's Shaft remake.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 08-14-2005, 04:05 AM:

quote: Mike Spaeth
I found it very interesting ... here in the South ... to see an auditorium of black people whooping and cheering as Mark Wahlberg kicked a black guy's ass ...

Why? Wahlberg is black too, at least inside.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 08-15-2005, 08:42 PM:

CINEMA: Cinemark 16, Ft Collins, CO
AUDITORIUM: 3
PRESENTATION: Analog
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: It was ANALOG
RATING: Two stars (out of four)

For the record, I will say this was easily the steadiest, best focused picture I’ve seen in months, if not years.

Also for the record...The car chase in the snow was absolutely awesome. Easily the highlight of the movie for me.

Short of that, I thought everybody from the actors to the director phoned this one in. The Thanksgiving dinner table scene was just...wow...I laughed out loud at one point.

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 08-20-2005, 11:55 PM:

what i didn't understand is how can four guys go around shooting their guns at people and no ones calls the cops. mark walberg characters pulled a gun on about 300 people at a basket ball game. nothing happened.

the only gem in this movie was Andre 3,000 acting. all the gun play and no one calling the cops was stupid. the car chase scene was to long and you couldn't tell what happened.

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 09-18-2005, 09:12 AM:

I thought it was pretty good. It kept my interest throughout. Nothing major to remember. The hallucinations were kinda weird, but were short enough to not make me lose interest. Ok film overall

3/5

Posted by Max Einhorn (Member # 3364) on 10-02-2005, 09:41 AM:

Four Brothers is, in its way, a family film. Despite a lot of violence and rough
sequences, it makes the point that families should stick together during hard times.
Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan) has found many ways to help troubled kids and
make sure they will live a happy life. She adopted four extremely troubled young
children and cared for them, and despite all of their differences they grew up as a
family. Many years later after the brothers have gone their separate ways, the
mother is murdered in a convenience store hold-up. When hearing this, the
brothers, Bobby Mercer (Mark Wahlberg), Jack Mercer (Garret Hedlund), Angel
Mercer (Tyrese Gibson) and Jeremiah Mercer (Andre Benjamin), reunite. When
they learn that the hold-up was more of an execution, they decide to take down the
killer.
Although there is quite a bit of violence in this film, it is there to make a serious
point. However, the film can be somewhat unrealistic at times. For instance, after a
major shootout between the brothers and hockey masked gunmen with machine
guns, the police simply assume it was a case of self defense.
The Brothers is reminiscent of the John Wayne film The Sons of Katie Elder. Here,
the action is set in inner city Detroit, making the film a slightly different genre, an
urban western.
Brothers can be very heartwarming at times, such as when the brothers reunite,
stay in their mother’s house and fight as they would when they were children. The
film also develops each character’s relationship with the mother, as we see them
sitting around the thanksgiving table. Each brother sees her in his own way sitting
there with them.
The film generates a lot of tension, but still maintains its sense of humor.
Brothers also has its share of storylines, one for each brother, and a fairly deep
back story concerning the mother. The brothers all mean well, but without their
mother to protect them they are all alone and left to fend for themselves. Victor
Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a crime boss, is found to be working with one of the
brothers, as the rest investigate to find out more horrifying truths.
Director John Singleton seems to have his highs and lows but has a knack for
finding talented casts. You sense that he wants some of his films to be taken
seriously and others are done just to appeal to teenage audiences. This is one of the
better films he has made, as was the recent Hustle and Flow.
You may think Four Brothers sounds somewhat predictable with a straightforward
storyline, but you will be surprised with the twists and turns that the film take.
Singleton knows how to keep things fresh and interesting.
Four Brothers is a big crime drama, thriller and action movie that brings violence
and heart to the big screen. It is an outstanding and a memorable experience.
Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content. Running
time 108 minutes.