Four Brothers (2005)
Goddammit Garrett Hedlund is cute.
The only reason to see this film is because you get
to see his naked butt for about two seconds. And,
of course, you'll get to witness another fine performance
from one of the most underrated actors in films today,
Mark Wahlberg. I'm not being sarcastic. Wahlberg is
an actor consistently overlooked. His work is solid
in nearly every film in which he appears. And there's
several examples of just how great he is within the
frames of "Four Brothers."
While Wahlberg and Hedlund make
up only half of the titular "Four Brothers," they
make up about 85% of what makes this film watchable.
The other 15% is provided by John Singleton's interesting
direction that is an homage to 70's films. The two
African-American brothers from the title, played by
Tyrese (Gibson) and Andre Benjamin, certainly add
very little to the film. Their appearances here are
lukewarm and bland at best.
I've said this many times before;
Wahlberg, is the most underrated actor in films today.
His work here is just as solid and compelling as any
of his contemporaries. Wahlberg walks a wonderfully
fine line between thug and angel in many of his performances
and this role is a perfect example of the kind of
character he was born to play. Within his thugish
machismo and vibrato lies the heart of a warm, caring
and loving man who isn't afraid to show his affection
for others. There's no love interest for his character
here other than his love of family, and Wahlberg plays
out the emotional resonance of such an idea with the
same perfection that is usually displayed by "sensitive
guys" embodied by the latest teenage heartthrob. Wahlberg
is so good at being emotive and sensitive within his
machismo facade that we nearly do not see it. He's
that good. You know how you go to a restaurant and
notice if it is dirty. But if you go to a restaurant
and it is clean, you don't particularly notice it
at all. That's how Wahlberg's acting is. It's so spot-on
that you don't even notice how good he is. I place
him above a ton of his contemporaries including Matt
Damon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.
Hedlund is, of course, a logical
follower of Wahlberg's path. Cute, young, hunky and
emoting enough sexuality to impregnate girls who haven't
even reached puberty yet, Hedlund makes all of the
teenage girls and gay guys in the audience swoon as
Wahlberg did just a few years back. (Wahlberg's much
more rugged and handsome than cute nowadays). Hedlund's
sensitive portrayal is furthered by his character's
sexual ambiguity which is exposed wonderful by how
Wahlberg treats him as a brother and several seemingly
offhanded comments. Wahlberg and Hedlund's character's
sibling rivalry, which fluctuates from homophobic
to homoerotic, evokes the reality of brotherhood squabbling
that takes place in many American households today.
But there are layers and nuances to this bickering
revealed slowly by the script that allows the astute
viewer to glean a more interesting and complex backstory
than just what seems to be on the surface. There is
a fascinating character study going on here and the
beauty of it is that half of the intended audience
won't even grasp it.
Singleton has been afforded the
luxury of making this film, a remake of a 1965 John
Wayne Western, into a modern urban story which pays
homage to 70's film by none other than Quentin Tarantino.
Without Q's dominance in the marketplace, it is doubtful
that Singleton's choppy and ham-fisted action sequences
would mix so easily with his familial story of revenge
and honor. Tarantino pays homages to 70's films as
well but Singleton does it much less artfully here.
His film is solid and action-packed, often paying
homage to Blaxploitation films of the 70's. But he's
story unfolds much in the way that Coppola, Scorsese,
or De Palma might have presented it in their early
films. It happens to be precisely what this film calls
for as well and the effect is a coolness that underscores
an interesting character study.
All of these elements: Hedlund's
attractiveness, Wahlberg's emotion and Singleton's
cinematics help to make "Four Brothers" a unique and
interesting film.
Note:
Also with Terrence Howard, Josh
Charles and Fionnula Flanagan.
Filmed in Detroit and Canada.
Somewhat a remake of 1965's "The
Sons of Katie Elder."
Viewed in Austin in August of 2005.
