| Four Brothers | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Singleton |
| Produced by | Lorenzo di Bonaventura |
| Written by | David Elliot Paul Lovett |
| Based on | The Sons of Katie Elder by Henry Hathaway |
| Starring | Mark Wahlberg Tyrese Gibson André Benjamin Garrett Hedlund Terrence Howard Josh Charles Chiwetel Ejiofor |
| Music by | David Arnold |
| Cinematography | Peter Menzies Jr. |
| Editing by | Bruce Cannon Billy Fox |
| Studio | Di Bonaventura Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 12, 2005 |
| Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million |
| Box office | $92,494,381[1] |
Four Brothers is a 2005 action crime film directed by John Singleton. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.[2] This film is loosely based on the 1965 western film The Sons of Katie Elder.
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The seemingly random murder of their adoptive mother, Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan), in a convenience store brings four brothers from Detroit, Michigan back home to find out what happened. Originally under the impression the crime was a simple "robbery-gone-wrong", the brothers soon discover that the robbery was merely a cover for what was, in fact, a "hit" put out on Evelyn. After this revelation, Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), Angel (Tyrese Gibson), Jeremiah (André Benjamin) and Jack Mercer (Garrett Hedlund) track down the hired guns who killed Evelyn. Refusing to say anything, they are unceremoniously executed by Bobby and Angel.
The next day, Detroit Police Lieutenant Green (Terrence Howard) and Detective Fowler (Josh Charles) confront the brothers about the murders. Lieutenant Green warns them that their interference with Evelyn’s case is ill advised, and that it will eventually put them in over their heads. Later in the week, Angel is informed that Jeremiah is the beneficiary of their mother's $400,000 life insurance policy and that his construction company is nearly bankrupt, facts which he had neglected to mention in any previous conversation. After further investigation by the brothers, Angel believes that Jeremiah's construction projects were shut down by the city after it was discovered he was involved with a local gang leader, Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Angel, Bobby and Jack's worst fears are realized when they witness Jeremiah paying off one of Sweet's men, Evan, in a bowling alley with their mother's life insurance.
After confronting Jeremiah, the brothers are treated to a somewhat different version of events. Jeremiah informs them that his construction company was failing precisely because he was not getting involved with Victor Sweet, and that for a project to succeed he had to pay off the right people, which he initially failed to do. In his effort to restore his business and relieve pressure from himself, he tried to pay off Sweet's henchmen. As for the life insurance, Jeremiah explains that the money went directly to him for his daughters, because he paid all of Evelyn's bills while his other brothers were not around.
Back at their home, Sweet’s men attack the brothers. Jack dies from gunshot wounds during the attack. In a rage, Bobby finds one of the gunmen still alive and executes him. When Lt. Green arrives, he tells them not to worry, and assures them it will go down as self-defense. He also informs them that Evelyn filed a police report regarding Victor Sweet and his involvement in Jeremiah's affairs, and his partner, Detective Fowler, passed on that report to Sweet. Green warns the brothers to stay out of the matter and let him handle Fowler and then they will work together on Sweet. Later at a bar Green confronts Fowler, hitting him and ordering Fowler to hand in his badge. They walk out of the bar, and Fowler kills Green and calls it into dispatch claiming two assailants had fired upon Green.
Meanwhile, the remaining brothers devise a plan to buy Victor Sweet off with the $400,000 from their mother's life insurance. When Sweet accepts, Angel sets off for Fowler's. Arriving at Fowler's, he subdues him. Jeremiah then goes to meet Sweet, while Angel's girlfriend, Sofi, heads to the police station, where she tells the police that Angel is planning to kill a police officer. Hearing the sirens in the distance, Fowler thinks they are coming for Angel, until Angel removes his jacket showing a "wire" however, with no receiver. Angel claims the whole conversation was taped. The police arrive at Fowler's in full force, and Fowler gets the upper hand on Angel. With a gun pointed to Angel’s head, Fowler admits that he killed Lieutenant Green. Fowler tells the police to back off. Fowler opens fire on the officers outside, who return fire and kill him.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah meets with Sweet on frozen Lake Saint Clair. After Sweet's arrival, it is revealed that Jeremiah and Evan have convinced Sweet's men to abandon him and come back to work for Evan. Sweet asks who will be the one to kill him just as Bobby shows up. Bobby and Sweet brawl, resulting in Bobby knocking Sweet unconscious. His former henchmen seal his fate after he is dropped in a hole carved into the ice. The three brothers, now in police custody, are beaten in an attempt to make them confess to the murder of Victor Sweet, which they do not. Back home, they set about repairing their mother's house, and continuing their lives together.
The music for the film includes, in a repeating refrain, the song "I Wish It Would Rain", written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, and performed by The Temptations, courtesy of Motown Records.
Other music includes the following:
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, reviews were mixed, with 52% of critics giving the film positive reviews, based on 124 reviews, with the consensus that "despite striking a believable rapport among its principal actors, Four Brothers overwhelms with ultra-violent, vigilante-glorifying action and devolves into too many fractured, insubstantial thematic directions."[3]
A Malayalam remake of the movie directed by Amal Neerad was released in 2007 called Big B.
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