Négy tesó

A Négy tesó film drámai érettségét tekintve valahol a kiváló Fekete vidék című film és gyengeelméjű Halálosabb iramban című film között áll. Túlságosan szó szerinti, és mintha naivabb, fiatalabb közönségnek szánták volna. Chiwetel Ejiofor megkérdőjelezhető a maffia főnök szerepében, jelenetei inkább mosolyt csalnak az arca, mint a tiszteletet, amire törekszenek. Egy film az Eminem 8 mérföld című filmjének rajongói számára. (2005.10.14)

An exciting film full of fights that pleases particularly through the central quartet of characters, who are no strangers to shooting or lighting a cigarette next to an open gasoline can, and simple but impactful action. The unoriginal script doesn't matter and it gains much more audience sympathy thanks to the uncompromising nature of the characters and the characters’ catchphrases. Mark Wahlberg is an actor who had to play a smug tough guy maybe 3 times in his life, and even if he only removes his pissed-off expression a few times and I still have no problem believing in him. This film is the perfect form of relaxation for a dull evening, and the only thing holding it back from perfection is Singleton's feel for the characters. This is especially true in the opening "investigation," which produces a lot of unnecessary characters who, although they mostly end up with a bullet in their heads, still deserve to be sorted out on paper. Other than that, it was good. (2008.01.17)

John Singleton's work leaves me pretty indifferent, and Four Brothers is hardly going to change that. I was only looking forward to Wahlberg, whom I've known since Boogie Nights, and he didn't disappoint with his furrowed brow, perpetually pissed off expression and macho walk. Otherwise, this story has nothing worth remembering. Some clichés here and there, a lot of fucking and testosterone, one pretty decent gunfight, but a pretty stale straightforward and far-fetched revenge story in which you can walk around Detroit with a gun in your hand, or even shoot yourself, and the police will stay calm. A movie like this should at least have a decent villain, but I didn't believe the overacting Chiwetel Ejiofor (the likable guy from Dirty Pretty Things) as the bad guy. Bottom line: passable for a boring evening of TV, but a visit to the cinema would be an unnecessary luxury. Two and a half stars. (2006.02.26)

A solid piece of film making, great action scenes and four tough, wisecracking guys. The story has a couple of surprises in store, but is not particularly original (apart from the fact that it fits with what I would do if they killed my mom). A somewhat unusual detective story where the investigation is led in a quite an untraditional way :). The quartet of actors is cool and Singleton does a superb job. All in all I give it nice FOUR stars. (2007.04.27)

Detroit is a tough city. There are a lot of Black people here, but I don't think that is the main problem. Crime is simply high, and it’s certainly not only Black people involved. But that’s not the point of the film; it doesn’t seek to condemn one racial group or another—it’s actually not about race at all. The film is primarily about how crime is a completely ordinary occurrence there; shooting someone who confronts you is a trivial matter. Just as it is to get your hands on a weapon to commit the killing. The film shows us right from the start that it won’t hold back. At times, it is quite harsh. The opening scene introduces us to how the film will unfold: an elderly woman goes shopping at a grocery store and, purely by chance—really, don’t look for anything more—she gets shot. Sure, it’s insane, but similar things happen in our world. The story probably wouldn’t have a continuation if the woman weren’t raising four adopted sons. Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), who is like a loose cannon, Angel (Tyrese Gibson), who tries to have a family, Jeremiah (André Benjamin), about whom even his brothers don’t know everything, and the youngest, Jack, who looks up to his older brothers, especially Bobby. These brothers don’t want to leave their mother dead; they are determined to avenge her. At all costs, they want to find out who is responsible for her death, and they pursue revenge like hounds chasing a fox. Of course, that means making sacrifices, but they are all willing to go through with it. It’s a tough, raw film that doesn’t play games. (2013.03.01)