REVIEW: Pride and Glory

Pride and Glory

Year: 2008
Director: Gavin O’Conner
Starring: Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich, Jennifer Ehle
Distributor: New Line Cinema
MPAA: Rated R

This movie was originally supposed to start production in February 2002, with Mark Wahlberg and Hugh Jackman starring, but was put on hold after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Fast forward to 2006, and the movie was green-lit to shoot again; this time with Colin Farrell, Edward Norton and Jon Voight attached. I first saw a trailer for the movie in late 2007, but never heard of it again. Now that the DVD/Blu-ray releases are out, I decided to check the movie out.

Plot Outline:
The movie follows a respected family of police officers in New York City. After four police officers from Jimmy Eagan’s (Colin Farrell) precinct die in an ambush, Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) is asked to lead the investigation. He soon finds out that this was more than just an ambush and that some cops within the precinct are involved in the death of the cops and are also abusing the power given to them by the badge they wear.

Plot:
The film attempts to focus on Tierney family in general, but Edward Norton’s character, Ray, gets the most screen time. After the initial intro, the movie began to drag with boring scenes showing family gatherings, random discussions, etc… but picked up about 40 minutes in, after Ray makes significant progress in the case. Although the movie is more of the same cop-dramas/cover-up type stories, director Gavin O’Conner manages to keep the movie going forward with new developments – some unexpected – that makes you want to keep watching the movie.

Cast:
One of the main reasons I was interested in the movie was its top-notch cast. Colin Farrell, who plays Jimmy Eagan, had the strongest performance. He was able to express fear, sadness and seriousness very well, when needed and to top it off; he also had excellent dialogue given to him by writer Joe Carnahan. Edward Norton also brings out a powerful performance as Ray, although I feel that he could have put a little more emotion into his character. Jon Voight, who doesn't have much screen time, also brings an excellent performance (as always) playing as the father of the Tierney family, along with a high-ranked role in the NYPD. Noah Emmerich plays Francis Tierney, Jr., Ray’s brother. He also gives a solid performance.

Picture:
The picture quality in the movie is solid, although a bit grainy. Contrast is first-rate and never exaggerated, while sharpness remains very high throughout the entire movie. O’Conner purposefully gave the movie a dark look, creating deep blacks, which fits the movie considering it had a dark plot. Colors are also bright during scenes that are outside.

Sound:
I found the sound to be exceptionally good in this movie. Even though there isn't much, when there is, it stands out. Since most of the movie is dialogue, it was important that that was mixed well. And it was – I never had to change the volume up or down in order to hear a scene better. More background sound effects could have been used. Bass could have also been put to use a little more. The fight scenes stand out most in the movie – quite a few times I said to myself “That must’ve hurt!”

Conclusion:
Even if the movie is more of the same cop-dramas, the story is still entertaining and enough to enjoy. This is topped off with exceptional performances from exceptional actors. I would recommend the movie to anyone looking for a corrupt-cop, profanity-filled movie.

Grade: B-