Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Four Brothers" is a 108-minute movie from 10 years ago that was written by David Elliot and Paul Lovett, bot not really that prolific, but they did a good job here. Same can be said about director James Singleton, only that he has made films for many years, also at this point already and scored 2 Oscar nominations for Boyz n the Hood back in the early 90s. And just like in that one, the cast in this film is predominantly black as well. However, there are exception such as Mark Wahlberg who plays the main character and the very young, truly unknown Garret Hedlund. Also in it are Tyrese Gibson, Chiwetel Ejiofor and André Benjamin. The latter is singer from the pretty great band Outkast. He certainly held his own very well here against all these professional actors, which is especially impressive as his character is actually one of the biggest and most significant of the movie.The plot is as follows: An old lady gets killed during a store robbery and her 4 sons are out for revenge. They run into good and bad cops and the main antagonist who is surrounded by many henchmen and contract killers. Oh yeah i forgot to mention Terrence Howard and Josh Charles ("The Good Wife") earlier. They also play their parts very well. Do not look for realism or real greatness in this movie. It's a nice revenge tale, but it's not too realistic. Still this wasn't a problem for me as it was mostly a fun watch with nice character elaborations and an interesting story. The ending may be a bit too over the top in terms of how everything looked bad for the title characters, but they manage apparently easily to get out of this mess. Really solid watch and I recommend this movie. Quite a lot of talent in here and that does not only include the cast. thumbs up.

Emerald Reprobates Four brothers is a good by the numbers action movie with just enough story and character development to keep you interested and the right amount of twists/red herrings to make it smart but never trying to be to clever. The movie follows the seemingly random killing of a sweet old woman who just happens to have fostered four of the biggest f**k up hard men you could imagine. As the brothers look into the circumstances of her death they realize her death was not random but orchestrated and covered up by gangsters and cops alike. This movie was never going to trouble the Oscar committee but its a solid 109 minutes of action/revenge movie. featured on Emerald Reprobates pod-cast episode 60

LeonLouisRicci A Movie of Many Tones from Extreme Emotionalism to Visceral Outbursts of Street Level Violence, this Band of Brothers are a Racial and Sexual Orientation Mix of Odd Fellows in Detroit's Dead End Community of Working Class Misfits and Perpetually Falling Snow.Obviously, this has a Cold Feel to it Despite the Many inclusions of Family and Brotherly Love. There are some Missteps like the Basketball Game that comes off as Ludicrous. The Acting is Fine but the Latino Female Character and Her Constant Loud Mouth Yelling and Confrontations with the Brother are Grating and Over the Top.The Revenge Element is Handled with Reckless Abandon that Sometimes Works just Fine, Like the Scene in the Project with Attack Dogs and an Escape Attempt that is Bone Crushing. The Car Chase is Refreshingly Different, but Sometimes the Gun Wielding Swagger can be a Bit too Much to Take.Director John Singleton Seems to be on His Game here and is at Home with the Homeys. Mark Wahlberg doesn't Mumble Much but the Marbles in the Mouth are Evident in a Couple of Scenes. The Movie is an Above Average Character Study with Plenty of Action and a Goodly Amount of Thought.Overall a Winner for the Director and Wahlberg, but the Overrated Terrence Howard got most of the Awards and Critical Attention as a Cop with Connections to the Family. A Picture with a lot More Pathos than Most Movies of This Type. Uneven but Gritty and Violent Enough to Satisfy its Goal as a Deep Discussion on Environment and Noble Intentions Buried in a Storm of Chilling Reality.

adrien-jb This movie was a big surprise for me. Sure the main central plot is about revenge - which the movie delivers on big time. But the big surprise was how the movie explores the relationships within this family of four brothers and their mother. I come from a large family and it rang very true for me. The humour, the ragging, the arguments but when push comes to shove - coming together. When family knocks on the door, you have to let them in.I found the location, character portrayal and violence very gritty and realistic. There is no over-idealisation of life, and yet plenty of humour there too.I found it a very satisfying mix of human and revenge, with revenge being the very good icing on a great cake.