Four Brothers (film)

Four Brothers is a 2005 American action film[3] directed by John Singleton. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund as adopted siblings who avenge the death of their mother. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and the Greater Toronto Area.[4] It has been described as blaxploitation-influenced.[5][6]

Four Brothers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Singleton
Produced byLorenzo di Bonaventura
Written by
  • David Elliot
  • Paul Lovett
Starring
Music byDavid Arnold
CinematographyPeter Menzies Jr.
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures[1]
Release date
  • August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[2]
Box office$92.5 million[2]

Plot

The seemingly random murder of their adoptive mother, Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan), at a Highland Park, Michigan convenience store, brings four brothers back home to Detroit, Michigan 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 a hit put out on Evelyn. After this revelation, oldest brother and criminal Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), Marine and third oldest Angel (Tyrese Gibson), second oldest and family man Jeremiah (André Benjamin) and the youngest, rock musician 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. After confronting Jeremiah about the revelation of his failing business and benefiting from Evelyn's life insurance, 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 gang lord Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor), 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, during a confrontation with Jeremiah, Sweet's men attack the brothers. Jack is shot and killed during the attack. Bobby finds one of the gunmen still alive and questions him about who sent them. He almost spares the gunman but is offended when the gunman mumbles "Thank God" and kills him anyway. When Lieutenant Green arrives, he tells them not to worry about any legal ramifications, assuring them that 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 that report on 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.

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 opens his jacket showing a wire.

Angel claims the whole conversation was taped, including Fowler's admission that he killed Green. 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 tells the police to back off, despite their pleadings that they are actually there to rescue Fowler. Fowler opens fire on the officers outside anyway, who return fire and kill him.

Meanwhile, at frozen over Lake St. Clair, Jeremiah meets with Sweet and reveals that the $400,000 is to buy off Sweet's henchmen, who are already embittered towards him due to his blatant mistreatment of them, and kill Sweet in exchange. Sweet angrily demands to know who will be the one to kill him just as Bobby shows up. Bobby and Sweet brawl, at the end, Bobby uses his hockey playing skills to get the upper hand and knocks Sweet unconscious.

His former henchmen seal his fate after he is dropped in a hole carved into the ice, drowning him. The three brothers, taken into 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.

Cast

Music

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:

Release

Four Brothers was released in the United States on August 12, 2005.

This film was released on VHS and DVD as separated widescreen and full-screen versions on December 20, 2005.

Reception

The grossed $92.5 million worldwide against a budget of $30 million.[2]

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 52% approval rating, based on 134 reviews with an average score of 5.7/10. The consensus is: "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."[7]

Sequel

An article written in 2010 suggested that Paramount Pictures was developing a sequel for the film, with Mark Wahlberg returning to reprise his role. It would be written by David Elliot and Paul Lovett.[8]

In 2020, Tyrese Gibson in a post on his Instagram page, the singer and actor claims a script for the sequel, Five Brothers, is in the works.

See also

Big B a Malayalam language movie was a unofficial remake of this movie directed by Amal Neerad

References
  1. "Four Brothers (2005)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  2. "Four Brothers (2005) - Financial Information". Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  3. "Four Brothers (2005) - John Singleton". AllMovie.
  4. Graham, Adam (January 11, 2017). "Mark Wahlberg talks Detroit, Gilbert and 'Patriots Day'". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  5. "Movie review: Four Brothers ***". The Blade. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  6. Hastings, Michael. "Four Brothers". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  7. "Four Brothers (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  8. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paramount-eyeing-four-brothers-sequel-19501
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