Four Brothers (2005)

A Classic Western Updated

Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake

John Singleton directed this very well done action drama that plays like a modern day version of the old John Wayne movie, THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER.

When their adopted mother is shot down, ostensibly by two gang members, in a convenience store robbery, her four sons return to their Detroit home to attend her funeral and to also see that the killers are brought to justice.

None of these siblings (Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund) would qualify as "citizen of the year," and, in fact, some of them have had their own problems with the law.

It doesn't take long for the brothers to discover that Mom was not the victim of a simple hold-up, but was the target of a assassination plot. Now, the quartet has to discover who put out the "contract," and for what reason.

Their heavy-handed investigation turns up the name of a local drug lord, and also exposes some police corruption.

There are some terrific action sequences in this film, particularly a fantastic shootout at the mother's home that leaves a street filled with dead bodies.

Terrence Howard co-stars as an honest cop.

DVD extras include director commentary, deleted scenes and several "Making of" featurettes. One of them shows how the aforementioned shootout was staged.

- Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008) October 10, 2008

Not Nearly as Bad as Everyone Says...

Okay, so Four Brothers might not teach the smartest ideals about avenging someone's death. Not to mention these guys never get locked up for their deeds. But that's missing the point.
The movie is a mediation on choosing one path over the other. I don't care how well the brothers were brought up, but they are still street kids, with a penchant for violence and they would rightfully want to avenge their mother's death in the only way they know how. This is illustrated with the wonderful talent of Andre Benjamin, who is reluctant to partake in his brothers' violent ways.
The film is incredibly entertaining, almost too much so, to the point where there are multiple nonsensical scenes merely for entertainment. But that is all okay! It wasn't supposed to win best picture, and it doesn't play to hollywood like many other films do.
The cinematography and locales are superb, and I felt right at home in the blue collar hoods, that actually look similar to what you would find in Denver. The snow really added to the film, and my favorite part was the slippery car chase in a blizzard. Having gone through blizzard after blizzard here in Colorado, I found it very welcoming. And also, many reviewers are saying it was unintentionally funny, when I believe it was intentional. This film is a send up of blaxploitation flicks, a word I have not seen mentioned on this website, and the over the top fight scenes and chase scenes set alongside funk music are meant to inject a certain level of humor.
Don't take this film TOO seriously, and you will have a great time. People are too skeptical these days of everything to begin with. I enjoyed four brothers immensely, and the music and acting was top-notch.
It's also great to see Andre 3000 act in films nowadays. October 9, 2008

falls short on credibility

The premise of this film is good: four adoptive bothers meet to unravel and then seek revenge for a seemingly meaningless killing in a rough urban scene. The actors are also very good, starting with Wahlberg, who carries an entire environment in the roles he chooses. Unfortunately, as the story unfolds, I felt that it became almost comicbook-like in the way that it cut corners: there is rampaging violence with little consequence, like even taking suspects into the police station for questioning (except when it advances the plot); the characters slowly lose credibility as they take smarter and smarter actions; and the ending has not one but two deus ex machina devices that ruin the remaining realism.

What the film becomes is a kind of shoot'em up cowboy movie, with an icing of realism implied. At that, it isn't too bad, but it is entertainment when it could have been a much much finer film. Not recommended. September 18, 2008

Not bad!

Average shoot-em up but fun to watch. Acting could have been better.

The delivery of High Def via Blu-ray was excellent!

Amazon's delivery of this product was excellent! August 26, 2008

Lame and hard to take seriously

I'll be honest I never finished this movie. It was that bad. The trailer is great but this film was more group therapy than anything else. I like the idea of adopted children coming together to find their mother's killer. But it was weak. I think they spent most of their time playing ice hockey than anything else. I got rid of it but I think the main character tried using a gun to get the attention of everyone in the gymnasium. Nobody took him seriously, and neither did I.

Good concept, bad script and actors that tried with what they had. August 22, 2008

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