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Four Brothers (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:125
Fresh:65
Rotten:60
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Despite striking a believable rapport among its principal actors, Four Brothers overwhelms with ultra-violent, vigilante-glorifying action and devolves into too many fractured, insubstantial thematic directions.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: When their beloved foster mother is killed in a holdup, four tough brothers reunite in their old Detroit neighborhood with revenge on their minds. Mark Wahlberg plays the brawl-hungry leader,... When their beloved foster mother is killed in a holdup, four tough brothers reunite in their old Detroit neighborhood with revenge on their minds. Mark Wahlberg plays the brawl-hungry leader, Bobby. His brother, Angel (Tyrese Gibson), is a rowdy sailor with a high-strung Latina girlfriend (Sofi Vergara). Garrett Hedlun plays the young rock & roller of the clan. And Outkast's Andre 3000 is the family man whose tenuous mob connection may link him to the killers. Director John Singleton ably blends his action skills (SHAFT, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS) and his gift for capturing the warm heart at the center of violent urban masculinity (BABY BOY, BOYZ N THE HOOD) to create a cooked-to-perfection gangsta stew. A soundtrack jammed with 1970s Motown classics roots everything firmly in the gritty tradition of the best of that decade's blaxploitation and urban revenge thrillers. Action highlights include a skidding car chase through snowy streets, some rough street hockey, and a bullet-intensive neighborhood shoot-out. With its talented, likeable cast, clever plotting, and sharp dialogue, this is a real crowd-pleaser that nonetheless doesn't shy away from depictions of street violence. There's not an ounce of fat on it--no extraneous romance, and no going "straight" at the end. Terrence Howard (HUSTLE & FLOW) is the well-meaning but ineffectual detective who tries to put a lid on the boys' rebelliousness. The spirits of Dirty Harry and Charles Bronson should be proud, and action fans will be well pleased. [More]
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Howard, Josh Charles, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Paul Stewart
Director: John Singleton
Director: John Singleton
Screenwriter: David Elliott, Paul Lovett
Producer: Lorenzo Di Bonaventura
Composer: David Arnold
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Four Brothers
Mostly enjoyable thriller with strong performances and a couple of terrific action sequences, though it loses a star for its nose-dive into bad movie territory towards the end.
Swiftly dissolves into a litany of brutally sadistic acts knotted together by a feeble whodunnit plot.
Singleton seems to struggle to keep it under control, finally giving up in the end and letting a dopey Hollywood finale overrun the film.
A healty mixture of action, humor and sentiment...one of the most sheerly enjoyable popcorn movies of the summer.
Fails to develop the kind of noble bond between adoptive siblings that would reach some degree of inspiration. A nice way to meld the ethnicities isn't enough.
Director John Singleton ratchets up the violence to mixed results: Sometimes it heightens the action, other times it's cartoonish.
Lays on the thug-life testosterone with a trowel ... a marathon Grand Theft Auto session, without the redeeming hand-eye coordination development.
Squandering the sex appeal and easy fraternity among its four leads, Four Brothers pitches violently between moments that are at once warm and raw.
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