The year was 2005. My friend had tasked me with figuring out what to do for a double date. He was eager to impress his new girlfriend, and wanted us to go see a movie. Our options were Are We There Yet?, Meet the Fockers, or John Singleton’s eighth directorial project… Four Brothers. The choice was easy. I gathered the group, drove to the theater, and watched the first R rated movie I’d ever been able to purchase the tickets for.
John Singleton was a guaranteed entertainer in my book. I had been watching his work for years. His breakout film, Boyz N The Hood, occasionally aired on TV when I was a child. Around the same time, I was familiar with Michael Jackson. His music videos played on all the music channels, with John Singleton directing the video for his song “Remember the Time”. It would be quite a while until I found out that the man who brought us Shaft in 2000, and 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003, was the director behind that video. Singleton’s filmography even includes an acting credit as a Fireman in Eddy Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop III, which is one of my personal favorite comedy franchises. His work was very familiar to me, even though he wouldn’t be until I started paying attention to directors in my teenage years. Knowing that Shaft and 2 Fast 2 Furious delivered a good time made choosing Four Brothers for date night an easy call.
The Four Brothers story is simple. After a woman is murdered in Detroit, her four adopted sons come together as adults to celebrate her. They’re a motley crew composed of a former soldier (Angel), a musician (Jack), an aggressive hockey player (Bobby), and mellowed out family man (Jeremiah). The immediate thing that stands out is that half of the brothers are white, and the other half are black. This doesn’t stop them from celebrating each other, mourning their losses together, and tackling their problems head on like any brothers would… Together.
After a funeral, and an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner, the boys go out for a drink. The bartender lets them know how torn up the neighborhood is over the loss of their mother and informs them that she died at the hands of gang violence. Everyone except Jeremiah, the married man played by no other than Andre 3000, immediately takes action. His exit seems inconspicuous given his mellow lifestyle. However, hands on violence isn’t alien to Jack, Bobby and Angel.
After a hands-on investigation, the brothers find out that the police report regarding their mother’s death is inaccurate. Supposed witnesses claim they were playing basketball close to the murder, but when the street lights in the area go off at 10pm, with her death recorded at 11pm, the boys begin to suspect foul play beyond random gang violence. After seeing the security footage of their mother’s murder, the boys realize she wasn’t just a victim of gun violence. She was intentionally targeted and slain without provocation, and the brothers are going to find out who pulled the trigger.
Sitting somewhere within the worlds of comedy, action, and crime dramas, Four Brothers is a little slow to start in the first act, but hits the ground running as soon as the Brothers begin their own investigation. From getting boo’d at a high school basketball game they interrupt, to bouncing off of parked vehicles during a car chase in the snow, the thrills and laughs keep on coming in. Nothing about the brothers’ approach is legal, but that’s why it’s effective. Where the authorities were seemingly unable to find anything, the brothers are put on the path to Victor Sweet, a local crime boss.
What I always seem to enjoy most about this movie is Andre 3000 in the role of Jeremiah. Seemingly the most innocent of the brothers, due to his family values. Andre 3000 brings the same energy to his acting that he brings to his music. You’ll find yourself rooting for him, second guessing him, and worrying about his well being time and time again. However, even more of a story driving power house is Chiwetel Ejiofor as Victor Sweet. Where most moviegoers will recognize him as Marvel’s Mordo, they won’t expect the kind of depravity from his villain role here. Victor threatens everyone around him, including his own men. Chiwetel carries a menacing tone with every sentence, leaving no trace of morality or mercy to be found.
Tension ramps up more and more with each detail of their mother’s death that they discover. Where questioning turned to physical aggression, the aggression escalates into full blown shootouts and attempted hits. The beginning and final acts are about as far from one another in tone, showcasing how far the story goes within its full length runtime. The story progresses, evolves, crescendos and wraps up without overstaying its welcome.
The film itself has delivered time and time again during its 20 year existence. It doesn’t rely on a franchise, or hinge on sequel bait, to be a crowd pleaser. Four Brothers sits all on its own, delivering the kind of Chicago street justice that Hollywood doesn’t get to see too often. Just like my date in 2005, the film was a crowd pleaser during my recent reviewing with my wife. She was a first time viewer, unsullied by expectations. She found herself roped into the story, and invested in its outcome, when she was originally intending to use it as background noise. John Singleton’s crime drama full of unconventional family values has held up, and is worthy of a revisit or first time viewing to this very day.
If you need a one-off crime drama that pays off, Four Brothers is what you’re looking for.