Le Prix de la loyauté

Films revolving around a family of policemen are nothing new. Pride & Glory, starring Norton & Farrell, isn't anything revolutionary in the genre but takes a generally strong storyline and adds some good acting.

Story revolves around a group of cops (led by Farrell) up to their necks in trouble after their corrupt scams have backfired on them, and to cover their backs they need to tread deeper into the mire. On the other hand is Norton (Farrell's brother-in-law) who slowly discovers what's going on, and it all goes helter-skelter.

In many ways in these films they can get a little clichéd and melodramatic, but this film seems conscious of that fact, and in general has strayed away from what it could have been. Nevertheless, its nothing special but still interesting. The main interest is the family politics and dynamics and that should keep your interest with the generally good acting. An enjoyable movie.

I haven't seen a lot of cop movies, so perhaps that's why I didn't find this picture "formulaic" as some have called it. I did find aspects of the film familiar, but for a different reason: I have been a resident of New York City for some time now; I have known law enforcement officers, and I think this was a realistic movie (except for the large number of murders, but hey, it's a movie). Many scenes of this film were quite reminiscent to me of stories I heard from a (former) corrupt cop I used to know.

I appreciated the fact this film showed the characters as human beings with families. I am tired of films that show both heroes and villains without back stories. I'm sure there are younger film-goers who would have preferred a more comic-book like movie...you'll grow out of that.

I liked the way the film ended. It brought in another dimension to the human drama.

Overall, this film is gripping, well acted, well directed and has an integrity to it that is often missing in films these days.

I saw the advance screening of Pride and Glory last night in NYC. It's an excellent film despite the first 30 minutes, which is riddled with enough F-bombs ((classic Collin Farrell)) and Spanish speaking between characters ((no subtitles!)) to make you question whether you'll ever understand what's happening on screen. It's not until after the 30 minute mark that the storyline is finally spelled out for those of us who can't cut through all the nonsense at the start. Thanks to outstanding performances by Edward Norton and Jon Voight this is definitely a MUST see film. All the action will literally have you on the edge of your seat towards the end. However, I'd advise you to spend the first 30 minutes doing something more productive with your time like standing outside in the concession line for popcorn and candy. In the bathroom washing your hands. Maybe on your cell phone having a conversation with your mother would be less punishment than watching the poor set up of this cop flick. But do go out and see this film!!! Just be sure to leave the kids at home, because the profanity, nudity and violence was even a bit too much for some of the adults in the audience. Enjoy.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

When four police officers are brutally gunned down in a run down, drug infested tower block, it sets a deadly chain of events in motion that threaten to tear apart the brotherly structure of the New York Police Department. Honest cop Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) starts with the proper approach, getting a statement from an eye witness to what may have gone on in the shape of an innocent, unlying child who admits to having seen notorious drug dealer Angel Tezo (Ramon Rodriguez) fleeing from the scene in fear. With what happened starting to look fairly obvious, the hunt begins for Tezo. Unfortunately, that includes less honest cops Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell), related to Ray through marriage, and his men whose corrupt activities have lead to the murders. It all builds up to a devastating battle between family and friends, loyalty and justice, truth and honour.

As any one who's glanced at the trivia section (or Empire Magazine!) will already know, work on Pride and Glory was scheduled to begin as far back as 2001, but owing to America's characteristically patriotic respect for NY cops who risked their lives to save lives that fateful day, any suggestion of corruption amongst them was deemed, well, unpatriotic and it's been left till seven years later for the film to come out. It would appear the most high profile film to come from writer/director Gavin O' Connor, whose other credits appear a smattering of unheard of films that have skipped the sort of exposure this one's got.

Though a few have claimed the film has been done before (which it surely has), it is still far more than a standard, straight-forward cop thriller, with an intelligent, twisty turny screenplay that keeps you hooked with it's developments and raw honesty. Despite this, the narrative flow fails to keep going as well as you'd like, and a fair few scenes gracelessly flow on from the last one rather than keeping you hooked for them. Also on the plus side are strong, solid performances from leading men Norton and Farrell, not to mention Jon Voight and Noah Emmerich as the other honest, well meaning father/son cop team caught up in the middle of the corrupt shenanigans as everyone else. But Norton and Farrell not only have good presence, they have good chemistry together and it's a shame they're scenes together are too few. Another down point is their climactic fisticuffs session, which feels corny and out of place amongst what has been a raw, unflinching, brutally and unsearingly honest cop film up till now, belonging more at the end of a Jet Li or Chuck Norris movie to be honest.

Still, this is a solid, well made cop thriller that was still quite worth the wait. ***

The Tierney family is a family of cops across the generations – with cops even married into the family. When a NYPD officer is killed in a violent drug-related shootout, Ray Tierney is asked by his father to be part of the task force dedicated to finding out who it was who killed one of their own. Ray agrees as the unit affected is led by his brother Francis and includes his brother-in-law Jimmy. With Ray searching the streets for the truth, Francis already knows more than him as his men are involved in activities outside the law, using their roles within the police as cover. Everyone wants to close the matter but not everyone wants the truth to come out in doing so.

The release of Pride and Glory was delayed and the suggestion reason was its similarity in tone and broad theme to We Own the Night. I'm not sure whether this is true or not but I will question whether it was necessary to delay this film if the aim was that it would avoid comparison with other films or feeling like it is something the viewer has seen before. I question this because the film's biggest failing is that we have seen it all before and it doesn't really bring much beyond the star names to justify me being excited about seeing it again. This is not to say it is awful (although some have) but just that it is very familiar and very "sturdy" – sturdy being a quality one looks for in furniture rather than films. Thankfully the film doesn't keep the "corruption" in the cupboard for very long because to suggest it is a mystery would be an insult to the viewer, who can pretty much see where the film is heading about 90 minutes before it gets there.

With many stories it is hard to plough a new furrow so one does find that often films have a familiar narrative and that this is not a problem. The thing is to draw the viewer in despite having seen it before or perhaps knowing where it is going – make them hope for different, make them care about the characters you put the fact that this is a film with an ending to the back of your mind. Pride and Glory doesn't manage to do this though and it surprised me considering the actors involved. The problem is not really with them though but with the material, which has too many characters but too little development of them. Norton seems a bit lost in this but still does turn in a solid performance. Likewise Farrell is good and it only further highlights how much of a waste it is not to give them more to work off individually and together. Voight and Emmerich add to this but again neither has the material to really do good work with so, although nobody is "bad" nobody really impresses either. O'Connor does an OK job as director but doesn't get much urgency or emotion into it – although this is the result of failing to do the same as writer.

Pride and Glory is a solid but wholly unremarkable film that is distracting but unmemorable. It feels old and dated despite still being in the cinema and I imagine this will only be worse when it arrives on television in about five years time. The names involved are impressive but nobody can really deliver what they are able to because the material is just not there in the depth they require. Not a "bad" film by any means, just one that is hard to get excited about or shake the feeling that you've seen it done better elsewhere.