The Yards - B+

On DVD (2000). Rated R, 115 minutes. Trailer.

After director James Gray, Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg reunited for last year's serviceable We Own the Night, I thought it might be worth seeing their original collaboration, The Yards.

Click below for more YARDS:

The basic structure of the films is the same, but set in the criminal side of things instead of the police force, as in We Own the Night. Wahlberg stars as the brooding son of the suffering Ellen Burstyn who returns home from a stretch in prison to find making ends meet as a parolee is difficult to do the right way. Phoenix is the slick high roller that doesn't seem to have any skills despite his load of money. In the middle are patriarch James Caan and the love interest of both Phoenix and Wahlberg, a raven haired Charlize Theron.

After a series of involvements and bad situations, Wahlberg is done wrong and hung out to dry as an easy to blame target for Caan and Phoenix. There are slight shades of the Godfather in the tone and filming of several scenes, as well as the shadowy backdrop for the film. This is a really interesting movie with good performances and a smart plot and screenplay. Almost an A-.