Say what you will about John Singleton’s films, but he almost always packs an emotional punch in his human stories. I’m not talking about summer fare like “Shaft” or “2 Fast 2 Furious,” which clearly were paydays for the director, but his more human work, such as “Baby Boy” and “Rosewood.” His latest, “Four Brothers,” represents a new chapter for Singleton as he tries mixing the speed and humor of his blockbusters and the often bleak humanity of his smaller films. A worthy experiment with solid results, “Four Brothers” comes out far ahead of Singleton’s other blockbusters but trails behind his earlier, more relevant work.

Revenge is the dish sold here and, as the saying goes, Singleton serves it up cold. Perhaps a little too chilly, in fact. Beautifully captured against a snowy palette of modern Detroit, Singleton sucks you into a nice groove, as we watch Mark Wahlberg cruise through Motown while Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” plays. Wahlberg is Bobby, a hot-tempered thug who looks like he’s 10 minutes out of the joint. He’s returning to his hometown to bury his mother with his three other adopted brothers, of which he is the leader.

There’s also Jack (Garret Hedlund), the youngest and most naïve; Jeremiah, the gentle soul and probably most mature of the gang, played with casual ease by Andre 3000; and Angel, the Romeo and general hot head, played by Tyrese. In short, Singleton has outdone himself by using as many musicians in lead roles as possible. (Let’s not forget Wahlberg’s days as leader of the Funky Bunch.)

That said, everyone here is very capable and quickly take on the role of brothers quite convincingly. Singleton excels at capturing moments of play and silent interaction between the brothers. Despite their differences in race, their bond is unquestionable and seemingly unbreakable. It’s clear that either Singleton has grown up in a house full of boys or is just damn good at writing characters.

And while the first 20 minutes does a good job of establishing tension – essentially, when will the brothers start seeking revenge – the switch from mourning to hunting is almost too quick. Save Jeremiah, whose married (to Taraji Henson in a bit role) with kids, the other brothers smoothly convert to gun-brandishing killers. Granted, these were rough kids to start with, but nothing previously prepares us for the level of violence these guys are capable of. For all their grief, we’re not given a chance to see it transform them from likeable brothers to marauding posse as they tear up Detroit looking for the men who killer their mother.

Of course, all the marauding is tons of fun. Singleton stages several shoot-outs and even a nighttime car chase in the snowy streets, with willful abandon. Naturally, Wahlberg is the lead crazy, shooting and leading Angel and Jack through doors with guns blazing. But they seem to be having too much fun – grief doesn’t feel like the motivating force here.

Thankfully, Singleton is smart enough to anchor the films fairly breezy feel with strong secondary characters, like Terrence Howard as the sympathetic Lt. Green. It’s amazing, too, that Howard’s piercing eyes can be used to inhabit the soul of a pimp in “Hustle & Flow” and just as effectively emit loyalty to a group of hard-luck boys.

However, Howard is easily overshadowed by crime kingpin Victor Sweet, played to a “T” by African-British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Dirty Pretty Things”). Completely 86-ing his native accent, Ejiofor adopts an American swagger as he glides through scenes often wrapped in an outrageous fur. However, Ejiofor, with his cold stare and soulful eyes, keeps Sweet just this side of parody. He’s funny, but you wouldn’t laugh at him. He’s short, but you wouldn’t turn your back on him. Alternately, cruel and kind, Sweet is impossible to ignore here.

Clearly, Singleton is having fun with all these character and seems tempted to turn “Brothers” into a heist flick with an ending that simply does not match the rest of the film. And that’s where the film goes wrong in terms of meeting Singleton’s other smaller dramas. While “Rosewood” may not have been completely even in quality, it was totally consistent in mood. “Brothers” moves between bleak grief and cowboy bravado too randomly to evoke a definite feeling. Yes, it’s fun and full of fun performances, but is that what a film about avenging your mother’s death should be? For all its strengths, “Four Brothers” feels like a missed opportunity to meditate on the very subjects it pretends to value – the bonds of brotherhood and the cost of revenge.

Posted by- James Hill.....

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