Going into the theatre, I was expecting to watch the typical drug lord type of movie, but what I saw was an intense story about love, brotherhood and the fight for life.

Written and directed by James Gray, “We Own the Night” takes you through the life of three men who not only fight for their own lives, but fight for each other.

The movie begins in a room on top of a blaring nightclub. A steamy sex scene fills the screen almost immediately, making viewers catch the intensity of Joaquin Phoenix and Eva Mendes’ half naked bodies.

Phoenix’s character, Bobby Green, (he took on his mothers maiden name), is the manager of a nightclub in Brooklyn. He parties hard and tries more drugs than anyone can imagine with his beautiful girlfriend, Amada Juarez (Mendes). He is the rebel in his family where his father, Burt Grusinky, (Robert Duvall), is the police chief and his brother, Joseph Grusinky, (Mark Wahlberg), is the top cop on the force.

Green’s father and brother are trying to control the drug trade and Green is practically in the middle of it. The nightclub is owned by a Russian émigré, whose nephew is the biggest drug dealer around. The Russians know that the cops are after them and soon, everything gets out of control.

It is then that Green finds himself confronting his inevitable future after hiding his past for so many years.

If you are ready for a movie with action, drugs, guns and sex, but also love, don’t miss “We Own the Night”.

Our rating (out of 5): 3.5