We Own the Night & Shall We Dance?

[ellen_datlow]

Last night I watched the recent police melodrama about two brothers played by Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix, their father played by Robert Duvall. The setting is NYC in 1988 which is depicted as an illicit drug-soaked wild west that can only be tamed by THE POLICE. Wahlberg is the good son who became a cop and made his deputy police chief dad proud. Phoenix, who didn't follow his brother into the force is managing a night club (that is connected with drugs). I've seen plenty of movies with similar plots--the most recent THE DEPARTED, remake of the Hong Kong movie INFERNAL AFFAIRS and usually enjoyed them. It also reminded me of EASTERN PROMISES, which although it was about human trafficking more than drugs had some very similar plot points (old man seemingly nice paternal guy who is the BIG BAD GUY, violent "enforcers" galore). So why did I loathe this one, even while I was watching it? I like the actors but feel they were given nothing to do. The script sucked. The direction sucked.

I could have watched the re-sent OLDBOY but decided I needed a lighter touch so watched the remake of the lovely Japanese movie SHALL WE DANCE? The remake is just as lovely, with a charming cast: Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez (who is in her best role since OUT OF SIGHT, the Elmore Leonard adaptation in which she co-starred with George Clooney).

Middle class, happily married guy feels some niggling dissatisfaction with his life and feels he's missing ...something. Sees a woman looking out the window of a dance studio during his evening commute home and decides to secretly take dance classes. It's very close in feel to the Japanese version although I'm pretty sure (from what I remember) there are some variations on secondary characters and plot points. Loved it.

Comments

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Loved Eastern Promises. And not only because of Viggo. Although, he wasn't bad to watch......

Shall We Dance? is one of those movies I can watch again and again and never get tired of. So did not know it was a remake of a Japanese film. And yes, Jennifer Lopez needs to do more films along this line.

I want to see We Own the Night because I like all three main male actors and Eva Mendes isn't bad either.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Me too me too!!

Check out the original. Yes indeed.

That's why I rented WE OWN THE NIGHT. I very much their work. I'm not sure I've seen Mendes before (although I'm familiar with her name) but she was good in this.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Mendes was in Hitch, Ghost Rider, Once Upon A Time in Mexico, Training Day, All About the Benjamins, Exit Wounds, A Night at the Roxbury....}:P

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

The only one of those I've seen is TRAINING DAY.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

LOL, Hitch is pretty good, as far as romantic comedy-ish, goes.

We liked Ghost Rider, me because of Nic Cage.}:P

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I was thinking you meant HITCH as in THE HITCHHIKER...hmm. Nic Cage is SOOOO erratic...

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Oh no, Hitch as in the Will Smith movie.}:P

We're watching Nic Cage in 'Next' right now as a matter of fact. Interesting.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Right. I figured that out.

Let me know if it's worth renting (NEXT, I mean ;-) )

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

I'd watch it again. Nice twist on the ending.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Shall We Dance charmed me also. Best of all, it played against expectations almost all down the line, plot-wise.

Gere was very good, very quiet, in his role.

Love, C.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Hitch was good too.

J-Lo's got twins. She may not be doing much acting for a while. She likes singing with Marc, seemingly.

Love, C.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Really? (about Hitch--) Ok two out of two, I guess I'll have to add it to my list...

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I was afraid they'd change some things from the original that would harm the movie (I can say in spoilers) but was relieved they didn't... Constance, have you seen the original?

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

So you did enjoy Eastern Promises, then? Would you recommend it? I almost rented it last time I was at the video store, but I ended up going with 3:10 to Yuma (Christian Bale, whee!). (Not that Viggo isn't hot, too. :)

P.S. I'm about 2/3 through Inferno and really enjoying it! Also the cover of the cat horror antho is awesome.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I loved Eastern Promises...I highly recommend it. How'd you like 3:10 to Yuma? I enjoyed that, too.

Very glad to hear that--I hope you like the rest of it :-).

Yes, I'm really pleased with the new cat horror cover.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

I liked 3:10 a lot, although towards the end I kind of was a little skeptical of how Wade decides to board the train so Evans can look like a hero. But then, since he's escaped before I could see it not being that big a deal. Heh.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Yeah. But it did work. I thought Bale and Crowe were excellent.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they were both spectacular - I'm actually more of a Bale fan, but I think Crowe almost stole the show in this one.

[livia-llewellyn.livejournal.com]

Ok, so I downloaded WE OWN THE NIGHT a couple weeks ago from Movielinks, and I'm in the middle of it right now (just after the car chase in the rain). Without even seeing the ending of the movie, I know exactly how it will end. I think the reason you thought this movie sucked is the same reason I'm thinking this movie sucks: because it adds absolutely nothing to the massive pantheon of NYC/cop/drug/nightlife/mob-culture movies out there. Except for the car chase in the rain, which was a slightly unique take on the typical NYC car chase, there's been nothing new or innovative about the plot, characters, culture, and time period of the piece. I've seen it all a million times before, and even some episodes of Law & Order are more original than this movie. FWIW, I think all of the leads are excellent. It's just, they're playing roles that have been played in film before, for nigh on eighty years now.

Also, they got the music wrong by ten years, which is a critical misstep. I lived in NYC in 1988 - believe me, no one was dancing to Blondie's "Heart of Glass" in the large clubs, even in the boroughs. Ugh.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I'm sure that's it.

Btw, I don't think it WAS Blondie singing Heart of Glass (although I forgot to check for the credits, I was so pissed off by the end. :-)

[livia-llewellyn.livejournal.com]

If it was a cover of Blondie, that would make it even worse. Gah.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Just checked and it appears that it was Blondie...Oh well.