Stanley Scorsese’s review published on Letterboxd:
There is nothing more special than a mother’s love. No matter what you do or where you go, your mother will always be with you. But when a gang lord sets up her murder, it’s time to make that motherfucker pay!
Four Brothers is about these 4 adopted brothers who set out to avenge their mother’s tragic death. But their investigation isn’t what it all seems when it learn that her death was actually a hit than a random murder.
I really loved going back to this movie! It was like when I use to watch it as a kid! I remember when I use to go to my cousin’s house when we were kids and spend the weekend with him. And after my mom drop me off at his house, we’d go to Blockbuster with his mom and a guy she use to date to pick up a few new titles. And I remember the titles too! The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Amityville Horror, Sky High and Four Brothers. Of course, this was when VHS was about to be extinct in the good old days, so we picked them up on DVD. 3 of the movies were R-rated but the only one we were interested in was Four Brothers because it looked like a good movie. So this was the first one we watched out of our double feature weekend, and we thought it was awesome! And fast forward to this summer, the movie came back into my life after buying it for a dollar at a thrift store! Now that’s a damn good deal if you ask me!
The acting in this film isn’t Oscar worthy. I’m not saying it’s terrible at all, but they do give it their best! You got Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund playing Bobby, Angel, Jeremiah and Jack Mercer. 4 adopted brothers come back together for the devastating loss of their adoptive mother. Soon what they thought of as a robbery gone wrong, turns into a hit to get rid of their mom. Now the 4 set out to find who would want to kill the sweetest woman in the whole world. Terrance Howard, Sofia Vergara, Teraji P. Henson and Chiwetel Ejiofor also co-star in this excellent action thriller!
I really wish John Singleton was here making great movies! The more I see his stuff, the more I start to miss him! Four Brothers was the last great movie Singleton directed before he disappeared and suffered heavy criticism with his last film Abduction. He brought back the ‘60s and ‘70s style in this film and it was great! Yes the plot is very simple, but it was great because it matched the story of an action movie with classic music, especially with songs by Marvin Gaye! Of course, this was influenced by the John Wayne and Dean Martin film The Sons of Katie Elder. But still, Singleton brought back the ‘60s and ‘70s vibe for making Four Brothers!
There are other good movies that John Singleton could’ve made a comeback with. And I would’ve loved to see him make one last great, if not good film before we had to unexpectedly see him go. But maybe these were enough because that wasn’t his process. Maybe he was one of those directors who wanted to make what he wanted no matter if this was his own script or somebody else’s. Anyway, Four Brothers is a good movie for all action movie fans can appreciate for its realistic emotions and feelings and excitement! If you’re a fan of the cast I’ve talked about or if you’re a fan of action flicks, then I suggest you find this on DVD or Blu-ray and add it to your collection!
I’m giving Four Brothers 4 stars!