Four Brothers

Directed by John Singleton, Four Brothers follows the title characters (Mark Wahlberg’s Bobby, Tyrese Gibson’s Angel, André Benjamin’s Jeremiah, and Garrett Hedlund’s Jack) as they reunite in Detroit after their adoptive mother (Fionnula Flanagan’s Evelyn) is murdered during a convenience-store robbery. It’s a promising setup that’s employed to watchable yet thoroughly erratic effect by Singleton, as the movie, which admittedly kicks off with a tense opening stretch, has been saddled with a palpably overlong running time that paves the way for a decidedly (and thoroughly) hit-and-miss midsection – with the ongoing emphasis on the protagonists’ investigation, for the most part, hardly as engrossing as Singleton has surely intended. There’s little doubt, then, that Four Brothers benefits quite substantially from the compelling efforts of its stars and their easygoing, engaging chemistry together, and it’s clear, too, that Singleton has elicited strong work from such eclectic periphery players as Josh Charles, Terrence Howard, and Taraji P. Henson. (Chiwetel Ejiofor, cast as the picture’s mustache-twirling heavy, elevates the proceedings each and every time he’s on screen, ultimately.) By the time the unexpectedly compelling and exciting climax rolls around, Four Brothers has cemented its place as a decent-enough thriller that does feel like it could (and should) be so much better.

**1/2 out of ****