We Own the Night – Review

It is the late 80s New York. The El Caribe club is run by Bobby Green (Phoenix), who focuses on his girlfriend Amada Juarez (Mendes) as well as keeping the patrons in line. The owners are a Russian family which let Bobby head up the show as he keeps things running smoothly. Meanwhile, Captain Joseph Grusinksy (Wahlberg) is honored at a police ceremony, along with his dad and Chief, Burt (Duvall). Bobby shows up with Amada, as he is actually a Grusinsky himself. He has shed his last name (using his mother’s instead) as an attempt to separate himself from the cops in his family. A crime ridden nightclub doesn’t do as well when the customers think police are potentially watching.

Joseph is going to be heading up a new narcotics unit with a focus on Russian mobsters and major weight. Strangely enough, his targets visit El Caribe frequently. Joe hopes his brother Bobby will step up and help out with his investigation, but this only puts stress on Bobby and also would damage the club’s money-making abilities. Bobby is the only way into the Russian community for now, but Bobby resists as he has enough problems. Burt says at some point, he will have to pick a side.

As the Russian family man and club owner Marat Buzhayev (Moshonov) looks to expand, he wants Bobby on board. Thing is, the police still have it in for a specific mobster, Vadim Nezhinski, who is Marat’s nephew. They decide to raid El Caribe. This sets off a cycle of violence and retribution as the cops go head-to-head with Russian criminals. Where will Bobby land during all of this? Will he choose blood, money, or both?

While We Own the Night doesn’t do anything new with its story, it is a quality production and a good enough crime and family tale. The excellent cast does a great job bringing it all to life, and the slower pace works just fine as plots are developed. The film has aged fine and plays well today featuring brothers on opposite ends of the law, however it can’t help but bump into cliched territory at times. Add it to the list if you like crime sagas.