Pelis and Popcorn: 'We Own The Night'

By Michael Lopez

With all the recent talk of New York and Venice Film Festivals, we thought it would be interesting to add a Cannes selection to our Pelis and Popcorn rotation. This week's movie, We Own The Night, has got a ton of top-notch talent behind it, including a prime role for Tr3s fave Eva Mendes.

Set in the world of New York cops and robbers, Night explores issues like family, revenge, and redemption. There's Joaquin Phoenix (before he went off the deep end) as a disenchanted nightclub owner, Mark Wahlberg as his by-the-book NYPD brother, and acting legend Robert Duvall as the badge-wearing patriarch of the family.

Though it was made in 2007, Night is actually set 23 years in the past and does a great job of emulating the essence of late 1980's New York. Joaquin's nightclub has all of the dated music and fashions you would expect and it's also got an ongoing rotation of shady clientele.

Actor Alex Veadov does a great job playing the evil Russian gangster who becomes Phoenix's number one customer. Rather than cooperate with his "family of cops," Joaquin chooses to keep the underground party going…until someone very close to him gets hurt.

That's when we really start to see Wahlberg, Phoenix, and Duvall flex their acting chops. Keep in mind that We Own The Night was Joaquin's followup to his Oscar-nominated Johnny Cash role in Walk The Line. Here, he's demonstrating just as much talent as he evolves from shady club owner to honorable brother and son.

Part crime drama, part action flick, part 1980's rewind, We Own The Night is definitely a P and P selection to put on your radar. And all you Eva fans may want to take note. She literally "bares all" on the movie's unrated DVD!

What's your favorite cop movie? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Eva Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Movies & CineMás, Pelis and Popcorn, Robert Duvall, We Own The Night