‘Pride & Glory’ review

Just as its plot conveys, ‘Pride & Glory’ is about as simple a story as any other corruptive cop drama that came before it. It does, however, separate itself from several recent sleeper hits like ‘Narc’ and ‘We Own The Night’ in the sense that the director actually knew, going into it, that the clichés would be evident regardless of how much he thought he could avoid them. Even if that’s not enough to persuade every single moviegoer into buying a ticket, no one who sees this movie can deny Gavin O’Connor’s ability to accentuate minor positives and use that craft to hide several major negatives.

The trailer itself delivers the obvious setback of having seen another director do it already, but when you throw in a pair of top-drawer talents such as Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, you know there’s just got to be more to it. And in this particular case, it’s enough. Especially when each supporting character is given a moment to shine through several one-on-one confrontations; which include father and son, son and brother, and eventually the pivotal son and brother-in-law… “You got anything you wanna say to me?”

With a thick goatee and a scar on the left side of his face, Edward Norton brings a very humble and devoted performance to the role of Ray Tierney; a missing persons investigator who is thwarted by his father (Jon Voight) into solving the brutal murder of four cops in a drug deal gone wrong. With plenty of evidence and no solutions to back any of it up, Ray uncovers a leak that could trace the crime back to his brother (Noah Emmerich) who works beside his brother-in-law Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell).

As he gets closer to finding the truth, Ray must learn to confront the possibility of corruption in the police department that his own family has built over generations. If you’ve come across any others like it, you might be able to see the conclusion coming long before it actually unfolds, but even with that awareness, ‘Pride & Glory’ still packs a wallop of brilliance along the way with its cinematic vividness and star-studded performances.

Robbed of several well-deserved Oscars, and about as humble as anyone with such fame, Edward Norton once again delivers a mind-blowing portrayal of a desperate man torn between two separate loyalties. His appearance makes him seem like somewhat of a man who is completely on the edge, but this role is actually quite passive compared to some of his previous high marks.

The qualities of the Ray character are as simple as a second generation worker who can easily be bullied into a corner by those around him. But it’s Norton’s unique ability as an actor that really kicks the door down in the latter portion of the film as Ray becomes impatient, and more determined to find truth instead of loyalty. We’ll always remember the skinhead aggression of ‘American History X,’ as well as the cocky arrogance of ‘Fight Club,’ but even in the darker periods of Hollywood, Edward Norton is one of the few names that can actually carry an entire film to another level if necessary. Here, he’s just letting the film work around him, along with some strong support.

Unlike some of Norton’s previous co-stars, Colin Farrell approaches his role from a more active perspective, but with an equal measure of talent, uses his own uniqueness to bring out the most in Jimmy’s hot-tempered personality. The two men get along great at first, and both appear about as devoted to law enforcement as any of their relative inspirations, but Farrell plays the “dirty cop” card more often than he should. Arresting criminals is one thing, but using a hot iron to make them talk is a little more than a possible suspect may have bargained for. At least we know, from the start, that Jimmy means business, and with that same tone of aggression we saw in ‘Phone Booth,’ Colin Farrell proves that he still has much to offer after a few dry spells (Alexander, The New World).

When I saw ‘Miracle’ a few years ago, I recall feeling very energized by Gavin O’Connor’s camera operation which practically set the audience right beside the players on-ice. It can be a little shaky at times for picky viewers, but using that same technique in ‘Pride & Glory,’ O’Connor makes it feel like we are working right beside Ray as he investigates every little piece of the crime scene. Some might think they’re just trying to pay homage to reality television, but as soon as bullets start flying in the midst of several graphic shootouts, viewers can’t help but gasp at the carnage placed right before their eyes.

Originally planned for a March release, ‘Pride & Glory’ sat on the shelf for almost a year as the producers waited for a more profitable release time, and I guess this was about as good as they could’ve done. Times are still a little strained, but the slow period has pretty much ended as we begin the road to the Oscars, and unfortunately, Gavin O’Connor’s cop drama doesn’t spice up quite enough glory to be a hopeful contender. Any fans of the lead stars, however, should certainly check into this as talent comes with a stunning power in an all-too-familiar environment. Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix were too limited to “own the night” for James Gray, but O’Connor trusted those he had to work with, and it’s perfectly clear by the result that the product was handled with absolute pride. I guess glory just doesn’t come as easy.