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'Pride and Glory' Movie Review

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'Pride and Glory' Movie Review

Colin Farrell and Edward Norton in 'Pride and Glory.'

© New Line Cinema
If Pride and Glory has a been there/done that feel to it, it's because we have been there and we have done that numerous times before. What sets this cop drama apart from the others is the quality of the acting. The story itself isn't anything special, which is surprising as screenwriter/sometimes director Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces) is a co-writer. The direction is decent (although I'd like to have seen what Carnahan would have done with it as director), but not anything to write home about. It's the performances of Edward Norton, Colin Farrell and Noah Emmerich that make Pride and Glory something special.

I'm not a fan of the shaky cam so thankfully director Gavin O'Connor (Miracle) doesn't lean on that crutch too often in Pride and Glory. It was fine in Cloverfield where it made total sense, but not every fight scene has to use the technique. The director and editors Lisa Zeno Churgin and John Gilroy also do well by the actors by letting them hold their beats as long as necessary. They don’t cut too early, and each of the actors benefit from being allowed to live out the entire scene. The action of the film doesn't overtake the quieter personal moments.

The Story

The story starts out innocently enough. NYPD officer Jimmy Egan (Farrell) is taking part in a football game when the call comes in that sends the department into a frenzy of activity. Four cops, men who served alongside Egan, have been gunned down during what appears to have been a drug bust. The killer's still on the loose, and a special task force is set up to capture the murderer.

Colin Farrell in 'Pride and Glory.'

© New Line Cinema
Egan's brother-in-law, Detective Ray Tierney (Nolan) - an officer with a troubled history - is also one of the officers on the scene. Ray was injured during an incident that sparked controversy, and he's been riding a desk for the last two years instead of being out in the middle of the action. Prompted by his dad, Chief of Manhattan Detectives Francis Tierney, Sr (Jon Voight), Ray volunteers for the task force. The men killed in the shootout were under the command of Francis Tierney, Jr. (Emmerich), Ray's brother, and their father knows Ray's got the talent to ferret out the truth.

Ray's decision to get involved places him back on the streets and smack-dab in the middle of a case which he's quickly figuring out has to do with corrupt police officers. Ray's investigation is heading in a direction which can't be good for the New York Police Department in general or the Tierney family in particular.

The Cast

Edward Norton can usually be counted on to make more out of a role than is there on the paper, and he does so as a decent cop treading lightly through a pit of vipers. Farrell's equally as impressive as an officer willing to do just about anything – including holding a hot iron to within inches of a baby's face – in order to continue to operate outside the law. This is Farrell's second best performance of 2008 (he was better in In Bruges).

Emmerich's character has to deal with the fact his men are not on the up and up while also taking care of a wife who's dying of cancer. Emmerich makes him a real sympathetic, humane guy and one we can connect with. The only bad apple in the bunch is Voight. He overacts, spitting lines out that don't need to be sprayed at audiences.

The Bottom Line

Pride and Glory was filmed way back in 2006 and left on the shelf at New Line, destined not to see the light of day until Warner Bros picked up New Line's content. But you know what? Audiences aren't going to care one bit about when Pride and Glory was shot – nor should they. The question is, is it worth forking over $10 to see? The answer is…maybe. Pride and Glory's not the best drama to come out this year or even this fall, but it is a compelling tale that'll kept viewers interested right up to the last 15 or so minutes. At that point, the plot takes a bizarre turn, one which actually induced snickers of derision from the preview audience I saw it with.

Noah Emmerich and Edward Norton in 'Pride and Glory.'

© New Line Cinema
A slightly faster pace, a better ending, and a few twists we haven't seen time and time again would have made Pride and Glory a must-see. As it is, it's decent but not one you're likely to regret passing over in the theaters in lieu of waiting to catch it on DVD.

GRADE: B+ for acting, C+ for the story, and C- for the ending. Overall, a B- just because the acting is so intense and outweighs a lot of the film's downfalls.

Pride and Glory was directed by Gavin O'Connor and is rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and brief drug content.

Theatrical Release Date: October 24, 2008

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