Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- atmospheric
- paranoid
- late night viewing
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and well acted but limited by bland characters, clichéd dialogue, and rickety plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bobby Green's nightclub life conflicts with the police careers of his father Burt and brother Joe, forcing him to reassess his loyalties after the Russian gang targets Joe.
The film uses Brooklyn and Manhattan nightlife, Russian organized crime, police surveillance, and a brooding fatalistic atmosphere to frame its family crime drama.
Bobby initially refuses to help his police relatives gather intelligence, but escalating violence and personal losses draw him into the investigation.
Bobby's nightclub ambitions and personal relationships are repeatedly tested against the Grusinsky family's commitment to the New York police force.
Films like We Own the Night, and why
The Yards
Shared neo-noir atmosphere, family loyalty conflicts, and organized crime pressure in contemporary New York.
Eastern Promises
Shared crime drama focus on divided loyalties, police corruption, and morally compromised men in an urban underworld.
Narc
Shared tense police-versus-gangster conflict, tragic family bonds, and brooding crime-thriller tone.
King of New York
Shared 1980s New York crime setting, undercover danger, and intimate treatment of law enforcement and criminal networks.
Movie Details
- Director
- James Gray
- Release Date
- 2007-10-12
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (1573)
Cast
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Mark Wahlberg
- Eva Mendes
- Robert Duvall
- Alex Veadov
- Paul Herman
- Antoni Corone
- Tony Musante
- Katie Condidorio
- Danny Hoch
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is We Own the Night about?
- A nightclub manager caught between his criminal associates and police family is pulled into a violent reckoning with New York's Russian heroin trade.
- What is We Own the Night like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of We Own the Night as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is We Own the Night violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in We Own the Night as brutal.
- What did critics think of We Own the Night?
- Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and well acted but limited by bland characters, clichéd dialogue, and rickety plotting.
- Which films are like We Own the Night?
- Films with a similar feel include The Yards, Eastern Promises, Narc, and King of New York.
- How long is We Own the Night?
- We Own the Night runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch We Own the Night?
- In United States, We Own the Night streams on Sundance Now.
