Plot
Four brothers look to avenge their mother's death.
Release Year: 2005
Rating: 6.8/10 (53,856 voted)
Critic's Score: 49/100
Director:
John Singleton
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Garrett Hedlund
Storyline Four adopted brothers come to avenge their mother's death in what appears to be a random killing in a grocery store robbery. However, the boys' investigation of the death reveals more nefarious activities involving the one brother's business dealings with a notorious local hoodlum. Two cops who are trying to solve the case may also not be what they seem.
Writers: David Elliot, Paul Lovett
Cast: Mark Wahlberg
-
Bobby Mercer
Tyrese Gibson
-
Angel Mercer
André Benjamin
-
Jeremiah Mercer
Garrett Hedlund
-
Jack Mercer
Terrence Howard
-
Lt. Green
Josh Charles
-
Detective Fowler
Sofía Vergara
-
Sofi
Fionnula Flanagan
-
Evelyn Mercer
Chiwetel Ejiofor
-
Victor Sweet
Taraji P. Henson
-
Camille Mercer
Barry Shabaka Henley
-
Councilman Douglas
Jernard Burks
-
Evan
Kenneth Welsh
-
Robert Bradford
Tony Nappo
-
Charlie
Shawn Singleton
-
Victor Hoodlum
Taglines:
Jerimiah Mercer will take the law into his own hands.
Opening Weekend: $21,176,925
(USA)
(14 August 2005)
(2533 Screens)
Gross: $74,484,168
(USA)
(20 November 2005)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Garrett Hedlund's tattoos took two hours to apply.
Goofs:
Continuity:
A close-up of the front of the El Camino Guys driver's license shows that it is a pre-2000 Michigan license. In the next shot, the back of the license has a magnetic stripe, which is found on post-2000 licenses.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Evelyn Mercer:
Ok, Darnell, so the candy just happened to jump into your pocket, huh? Well I don't think so. Samir's going to call the police right now. Samir, the police! Darnell:
Please don't call the police, man, please! Evelyn Mercer:
That's what happens when you shoplift. There's consequences. Darnell:
But it's just some damn candy! I don't wanna go to jail! Evelyn Mercer:
Well you can probably get away with stealing sometimes, Darnell, but sooner or later you're gonna get caught. Is that the way you want to lead your life? Darnell:
No. Evelyn Mercer:
I happen to believe you're worth more. But you gotta believe it, Darnell.
[...]
User Review
How refreshing - a movie that actually exceeded my expectations!
Rating: 8/10
If you had ever told me that I would end up really liking a movie
starring Marky Mark from the Funky Bunch and the lead singer of Outkast
(the perpetrators of one of the most annoying songs in recent history -
Hey Ya) then I would've laughed right in your face. Come on, a movie
with three rappers (Tyrese throws down the rhymes also, yo!)? There's
no way I would've expected that to satisfy my entertainment needs. But
I'm man enough to admit that I would've been wrong.
Four Brothers is a gritty, testosterone-fueled crowd pleaser that mixes
drama, action, and humor. If you're looking for something light and
fluffy then keep on looking because you won't find it here. But if
you're in the mood to see some bad guys get pumped full of bullets and
fists then this will put a smile on your face. The audience at the
screening I attended was clapping and cheering throughout the movie.
You'd have thought we were at a wrestling match.
This plays out a bit like a Western. A wrong is done, a posse seeks to
get revenge against the wrongdoers, and the wrongdoers are painted in
such an unlikable fashion that you're just begging for them to taste a
little vigilante justice.
As for the good guys, well, they fall under the "anti-hero" moniker.
They aren't scared to sidestep the law in order to get what they're
after. But within the context of the movie you can't really blame their
motives. Their mother adopted them when nobody else wanted anything to
do with them. They were considered lost causes, yet she took them in,
gave them a family, and put her faith in them.
They didn't turn out to be saints, but as one cop says, "They're
Congressmen compared to what they would've been." Now their mother,
just an old lady always trying to do good, is dead and the cops don't
seem to be doing anything about it. Wrongs have to be made right, and
the brothers decide they're the ones that have to make it right.
This is one of those movies that I figured I'd somewhat enjoy, but I
walked out of the theater thinking, "Man, I didn't expect it to be THAT
good!" It's rare that I find such a diamond in the rough, so I savor it
as if I'm Rob Schneider at a stupid movie convention.
One reason I had my doubts going in was I feared it might be drowned in
loud, annoying hip-hop stylings. Plus, every Outkast song I've ever
heard has made me want to gouge my eardrums with a letter opener, so I
feared the worst from Andre Benjamin. "How annoying is this guy going
to be?" I asked myself. But all my fears were unfounded. Instead, we're
surrounded by a world of crooked cops, bad guys who wear man-furs,
surprisingly good acting, believable chemistry, a couple of subtle
twists, and a really cool car chase on ice. I'm always up for a good
revenge flick, and I'm happy to report that this one exceeded my
expectations.
THE GIST
Are you easily offended by violent revenge flicks? Then use your common
sense and skip out on Four Brothers. But if that sounds like your kind
of movie then I think you'll find this one works great within the
genre.
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