Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- paranoid
- melancholic
- late night crime film
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found it to be a richly textured, authentic crime thriller elevated by strong performances and James Gray’s direction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Queens subway-car contracting business is controlled through graft, sabotage, and back-room competition.
Leo Handler leaves prison needing employment and protection while his criminal past makes him vulnerable to manipulation.
The rail yards, family networks, and corrupt contracts create a grounded atmosphere of entrapment rather than glamorous criminality.
Leo’s dependence on his best friend Willie turns their friendship into a source of criminal exposure and danger.
Films like The Yards, and why
Serpico
shared themes of institutional corruption, moral compromise, and fatal criminal entanglement
We Own the Night
shared brooding crime drama atmosphere, family pressure, and protagonists trapped by corrupt systems
Mean Streets
shared urban crime setting, male friendship, betrayal, and grim consequences
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
shared slow-burning corruption thriller structure and morally compromised working-class characters
Movie Details
- Director
- James Gray
- Release Date
- 2000-04-27
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (551)
Cast
- Mark Wahlberg
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Charlize Theron
- James Caan
- Ellen Burstyn
- Faye Dunaway
- Steve Lawrence
- Andy Davoli
- Tony Musante
- Victor Argo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Yards about?
- A former convict is pulled into a Queens subway-contracting racket where friendship, family, and corruption leave him with nowhere safe to turn.
- What is The Yards like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Yards as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Yards violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Yards as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Yards?
- Critics broadly found it to be a richly textured, authentic crime thriller elevated by strong performances and James Gray’s direction.
- Which films are like The Yards?
- Films with a similar feel include Serpico, We Own the Night, Mean Streets, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
- How long is The Yards?
- The Yards runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Yards?
- In United States, The Yards streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
