Four Brothers Movie Review:


It’s all about family, well, sort of.

Four foster brothers reunite on a cold snowy day when their foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is killed during a convenience store robbery. She was the only good thing to happen to these four social misfits and she was the only one who really cared.

After the funeral, Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), Angel (Tyrese) and Jack (Garrett Hedlund) decide that they need to look closer at the holdup because something just doesn’t fit. Meanwhile Jeremiah (Andre 3000) has second thoughts about getting involved since he is now a devoted family man.

The more leaves the brothers peal back on the mystery of their foster mother the more demons jump out of the closet. But it all seems to lead to a ruthless gangster named Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor). How could the sweetest old woman in the world be involved with the mob?

Director John Singleton has had a lot of hits and misses throughout his career but he has never been able to capture the critical and commercial success that was his debut film, 1991’s “Boyz n the Hood”. But we have seen a lot of Singleton’s vision from that film in some of his films since then. “Poetic Justice”, “Higher Learning” and “Baby Boy” come to mind.

With his latest film, Singleton seems to be revisiting the 1970s yet again like he did a lot with his remake of “Shaft” in 2000. There seems to be a lot of homage to gritty crime films of the 1970s. The atmosphere, the snowy weather and the villains all feel very much like a Charles Bronson film.

Sure this film is basically just a revenge flick but it’s the way it’s presented and the characterizations of the brothers that makes this film probably the best film Singleton has made in five years. In some ways it’s a return to what he does best.

By far the best parts of this film are the eloquently, jump-out-of-your-seat action sequences. There is so much raw emotion, disorientation and intensity that they are sure to make any action fan salivate.

Mark Wahlberg is solid as the patriarch of the brothers. Andre 3000 is surprisingly effective in his role as the more reluctant brother. After starring in disasters like “Be Cool” and “Hollywood Homicide” it is no wonder Andre shines here. Chiwetel Ejiofor is the perfect villain and does an amazing job at balancing slimy, ruthless and suave.

I have to admit I wasn’t sure what to think when Singleton decided to start shepherding Tyrese in a lot of his films. But after “Baby Boy” and now “Four Brothers” I am starting to see that the man has a lot to bring to the screen. Tyrese does a lot of scene-stealing from Wahlberg in this film and it’s great to see.

Singleton’s next flick will put Tyrese front and center as he tackles the role of “Luke Cage” from Marvel Comics fame. Singleton is definitely the right director for the project and now it seems that Tyrese seems to be the right star. So, bring it on!

Singleton’s back on his “A-game” and “Four Brothers” is a reminder to how good Singleton can be when he is in his element.

So Says the Soothsayer.



Dean Kish

There's a strong enough story here, with powerful characters that make this worth seeing. Although director Singleton seems to struggle to keep it under control, finally giving up in the end and letting a dopey Hollywood finale overrun the film.

Evelyn Mercer (Flanagan) was clearly a saint; she adopted four very troubled boys and raised them as brothers. Now grown men (Wahlberg, Gibson, Benjamin and Hedlund), they've reunited in Detroit for her funeral. But they're troubled by the circumstances surrounding her death, and they feel the detectives (Howard and Charles) aren't doing enough to find her killer. So they start their own investigation, which leads to the baddest bad guy in Motor City (Ejiofor).

While the plot isn't terribly original, the film at least takes a bracingly fresh approach through the four central characters--very different men who clearly have a tight brotherly bond and a palpable camaraderie. All four are extremely very well-played, although we never find out anything about them--only one (family guy Benjamin) gets any back story to speak of. This leaves a gaping hole in the film, making it hard for us to really identify or engage with these characters, no matter how natural their interaction is. Other characters--while also extremely blessed with strong performances--are similarly vague and sketchy. This is an odd misstep for a director known for incisive character studies like Boyz N the Hood.

The film is beautifully shot, all wintry snow and gloomy innercity backdrops. There are a couple of astonishing sequences, most notably a car chase on iced-over streets and a staggering neighbourhood shootout. And the growing, constantly twisting mystery is quite involving. So when it takes a couple of weirdly stupid turns at the end it's badly disappointing. All logic is jettisoned and the story stumbles into what looks like a lame vanity climax, followed by tacked-on heartwarming schmaltz. We keep waiting for the characters to deepen and reveal themselves to us, but that never happens. In the end, for all its important messages and artistic quality, it's just a superficial, overlong melodrama.

Rich Cline

When their adoptive mother Evelyn Mercer (Flanagan) is shot and killed in a convenience store robbery, brothers Bobby (Wahlberg), Angel (Gibson), Jerry (Benjamin) and Jack (Hedlund) return to Detroit for her funeral. Wanting answers, the brothers start their own investigations into her death after the police say it is gang related. Using their own type of persuasion, they find out that there might be more to her death than they first thought.

Director John Singleton returns to the urban inner city storylines that made this name but can the now big time helmer remember his filmmaking roots?

Making his name with gritty, urban dramas like ‘Boyz in the Hood’, ‘Poetic Justice’ and ‘Higher Learning’, Singleton came to the attention of the Hollywood big wigs and bigger budget fair like ‘Shaft’ and ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ soon followed. ‘Four Brothers’ sees the director try and combine these two different kinds of approaches to bring us a character driven action flick.

At the centre of the film are the four brothers of the title. Adopted by their foster mother Evelyn Mercer, when no one else would take them in, Bobby, Angel, Jerry and Jack became known in the Detroit neighbourhood by everyone and especially the police. With Bobby spending time in prison, Angel joining the US Navy, Jack playing in a band and Jerry managing to change his life around by getting into property redevelopment. They are reunited at the funeral and come together to find out who killed their mother. From then on the film becomes a combination of a vigilante investigation with action sequences filling in the gaps between the revelations.

After making a real impact in 1997’s ‘Boogie Nights’, rapper turned actor Mark Wahlberg went on to mix dramatic roles with big budget Hollywood leading man roles with mixed results. As Bobby he is given a decent character to contend with. The eldest brother of the family and the one who has been in the most trouble, Wahlberg’s character drives the brother’s own investigation in his own unique style. André Benjamin is another musician turned actor trying to make a name for himself on the big screen and he continues to impress. As Jerry, he is the conscience of the group and brings some control to the situation. The trio of musicians turned actors is completed by Tyrese Gibson, who plays Angel. While he doesn’t quite have the same impact as Wahlberg or Benjamin, but he has the potential. Garrett Hedlund is a model turned actor who is starting to make himself known and his role as Jack will only help with that. There are also decent supporting performances from Terrence Howard as Lt. Green, Fionnula Flanagan as Evelyn Mercer and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Victor Sweet.

The twists and turns of the plot never really surprise but they do enough to keep you interested and the action sequences, including an exciting car chase in a snowstorm, are of a high quality making ‘Four Brothers’ more watchable than it should have been. The performances also keep you engaged but while this may be entertaining, it isn’t a movie that will stick in the memory for very long after the final credits roll.

Jamie Kelwick

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Four Brothers and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.