Film Review: Pride and Glory

If you know a bunch of guys who love smart movies but are not very smart themselves point them towards a copy of “Pride and Glory” starring Edward Norton (as Ray Tierney)and Colin Farrell (as Jimmy Eagan) because they’ll love it (and this goes double if they’re Irish). The film, written and directed by Long Island native Gavin O'Connor features a predictable story of good cop, bad cop on the rugged streets of New York and this time it’s all in the family with Jon Voight playing papa cop. The film is entertaining to watch but after foreseeing the plot in the first scene, dealing with some unrealistic plot elements (like having so many cops in the same family under the same command), and sitting through some awful acting (there is more to acting like a New York cop then shouting the F-bomb) the suspension of disbelief was lost.

The only real saving grace in the film is Edward Norton’s performance which makes the movie almost watchable. It’s really disappointing because the film has potential but falls short in so many ways and is actually frustrating to watch at times. The cast doesn’t help the situation much because Colin Farrell never really sells his character well and plays Colin Farrell imitating an Irish cop rather than a true character. There is also quite a bit of inconsistencies in the characters motivations and times when their actions seem totally unbelievable. As the dénouement the film totally lacks any real ending instead cutting the story short with a fade out into the sunset forcing the audience to surmise what may’ve happened at which point I just wanted the building they were in to explode to have a sense of closure.

In all, the movie is perfect for a long flight or to irritate relatives who you want to leave but not much else. One positive note is that there was some things one might learn from watching a film like this which is that filmmaking is harder than it looks and that if you’re in a room with a drug dealer and someone asks for a potato- run (because they use it as a cheap silencer). Pride and Glory is a perfect gift for your dumb uncle or a friend you might not think that much of intellectually but I’d rather have spent the 2 hours on line for a much better film.

This review was originally posted on Short & Sweet NYC