Pride and Glory

A movie doesn't have to be groundbreaking to be good. Sometimes its nice to see a movie that doesn't do anything new, but sticks to what the genre is known for so in a way it's like comfort food. Last year Pride and Glory hit theaters and bombed at the box office, barely making $20 million. Part of that had to be chalked up to its been-there, done-that storyline that's been done to death in cop movies. Despite having a great cast, the movie doesn't really do anything special.

Four cops are dead, and the NYPD has few leads to work with. Detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) has been out of the field for almost two years and is asked by his dad (Jon Voight), another cop, to lead the investigation into the four deaths. Always a good cop who had come under fire for his questionable handling of a case, Tierney begins to look into the case and doesn't like what he sees. All the evidence points to dirty cops being involved, and making it worse, his brother Francis (Noah Emmerich) and brother-in-law Jimmy (Colin Farrell) look to be involved.

What should Ray do? Stay true/loyal to his family and that bond or to the oath he took as a cop to uphold the law? People from all sides are telling him what to do as tensions in NY rise when more dead bodies keep showing up. The main problem here is that nothing is new. Pride and Glory doesn't put a new spin on the old good cop vs. bad cop routine or even try to. The story is a good one, and the actors pull off their parts well, but the whole time I felt like I was watching a movie I'd seen before.

All of that said, it's disappointing because the cast is good, especially the leads. Ed Norton is one of my favorite actors around, and his role as a tortured cop trying to right certain wrongs he did in the past is the highlight of the movie. You might not think of Norton as the typical, tough guy cop but he plays the part well. Another of my favorites, Farrell, is average as Jimmy Egan, the cop with the fiery temper who's apparently involved with some low-level drug dealers. It's not his best performance if only because we know so little about what drives him or what pushes him.

Jon Voight similarly has little to do as the Tierney family patriarch, a veteran cop just trying to hold his tight-knit family together. Noah Emmerich is right behind Norton as the movie's best part as Francis Jr., the precinct commander who has turned a blind eye to Egan and his crew's antics but only because they got the job done. Jr knew they were crossing the line, but not to what extent. It's this part of the movie that works best, whether it be Norton or Emmerich. It's hard for them to believe that someone they know so well and love could be capable of the things they see.

The movie has its issues, but if you enjoy procedural cop movies I'd give this a try. It's not great and it's not bad either. Pride and Glory just rests in that middle section that doesn't leave much of an impression on you and drifts away rather quickly. Rent it but don't buy it.