The Yards
Two terms you rarely hear used in conjunction with movies these days are "low-key" and "crime-drama."Yet, together, they do a pretty good job of describing "The Yards," a film that seems to have been inspired by the Francis Ford Coppola School of Filmmaking instead of the myriad Quentin Tarantino knock-offs that have become such a cinematic clichˇ.
For example, instead of striving to become yet another, nonstop profanity and violence fest (for better or worse, a Tarantino trademark), this relatively subdued piece tries to take a more thoughtful, understated approach to its material.
Unfortunately, that doesn't make the film any better than its less-restrained movie cousins. In fact, if not for some fine performances by its extremely talented cast, the film would be an absolute snore.
Arguably the biggest name among them is Mark Wahlberg, who stars as Leo Handler. Leo's just been released from prison — after taking sole blame for car theft — and is looking for work.
He'd like to stay clean, but he has a frail mother (Ellen Burstyn) to support. So when Frank Olchin (James Caan), his uncle through marriage, offers him a menial job at his Manhattan subway manufacturing and repair company, Leo kindly declines.
Leo agrees to act as lookout while Willie and his cohorts try to sabotage one of their competing companies. But it quickly goes awry when they're discovered by transit cops and, in the scuffle, one is stabbed and another injured.
So the unfortunate ex-con appears as if he's going to take the rap again — unless he can turn the tables on his former friend and persuade his cousin (Charlize Theron, barely recognizable as a brunette) to help him out.
Filmmaker James Gray (1994's "Little Odessa") reportedly took quite some time to re-work the film, which delayed its release for more than a year. What he needed to do was tighten up the pacing, since the film seems almost lifeless in places. He and co-screenwriter Matt Reeves also have a hard time expressing their ideas (the muddled, rushed ending is difficult to interpret), and the characters aren't very well-developed.
That's why the filmmakers are lucky to have this cast. Aside from the usually dependable Wahlberg, who is troublingly aloof and unsympathetic here, they deserve better than this material. Phoenix, so impressive in "Gladiator," offers the film's strongest performance, making you wonder why it isn't about his character. But Caan, Burstyn and Faye Dunaway also manage to flesh out their, frankly, underwritten roles.
"The Yards" is rated R for occasional strong profanity, violence (a fistfight, a stabbing and gunplay), brief male and female nudity, a vulgar gesture and brief gore. Running time: 115 minutes.
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