Four NYPD cops are down in a drug bust gone wrong. Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) heads the investigation. It's what his father ex-cop brass Francis Sr (Jon Voight) wants. The four are his brother Francis Jr (Noah Emmerich)'s men. As Ray digs, he finds corruption in the department that has entangled his family. Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell) is his brother-in-law who leads a group of corrupted cops.
It's a gritty crime drama with lots of top notch acting talents. The acting is good, but there is nothing here that is new or surprising. Writer/director Gavin O'Connor has infused this movie with a grimy messy style. The tone is dark. The story is a little bit confused with a few too many characters' POV and is also somewhat formulaic. It's a movie that has been done better elsewhere.
It's a gritty crime drama with lots of top notch acting talents. The acting is good, but there is nothing here that is new or surprising. Writer/director Gavin O'Connor has infused this movie with a grimy messy style. The tone is dark. The story is a little bit confused with a few too many characters' POV and is also somewhat formulaic. It's a movie that has been done better elsewhere.