Pride and Glory

Pride and Glory

Josh Pothen

1.5 stars out of 4

This piece was originally published at the ODU Mace & Crown and is reprinted below.

“Pride and Glory” is a movie so bad that I must use two analogies to describe it. It is like eating a malformed cake. All the familiar ingredients are present, but something has gone wrong with the cooking. It is also like looking at an unkempt beard. It is so unfocused, ugly and long that all you want is to shave it off completely.

If there is a saving grace to the movie, it is the acting. Edward Norton, Colin Farrell and Jon Voight all star as members of a family of New York cops, each with a different personality and way of dealing with the law. They’re so believable that even when they can’t win against the screenplay, we’re reminded of how talented they are.

The plot involves a drug bust in which four of the family’s friends in the force are killed. The main outline of events of the movie are clear, but the individual brushstrokes seem confused. Part of this may the editing, which more than once makes it seem as if certain conversations have had parts cut out of them. Another part is the screenplay. There are many people in this film, from individual policemen to members of the family. Most are not given enough screen time or dialogue. One particular missed opportunity is a family Christmas dinner, where music plays over a good part of the conversation, preventing us from hearing what they’re saying. This prevents us from connecting with the characters, or even learning to differentiate them. At one point, I thought one character was merely another one wearing a wig.

What’s surprising is how many tired cliches are thrown in to accentuate the story. The dying wife. The alcoholic father. Lines like “I’m doing the best I can”. And I haven’t even mentioned cliches that could spoil the movie, though you will know what they are if you have seen any police thriller before. There are two original ideas in the movie, but you know you’re in trouble when one involves attempting to brand a baby with an iron, and the other involves a one-on-one fistfight in a bar set to (I kid you not) Irish dance music. At the climax of the drama of the film.

The result is that the story is devoid of interest, and we sit back unmoved and uninterested. The film partially redeems itself towards the end with an intense argument between family members that feels true. Then it descends into ridiculousness with some inexplicable developments.

The film closes with the longest disclaimer I have ever seen, assuring the audience that the people, story and situations are not based on anything real. What a pity. Truth, after all, is stranger than fiction. “Pride and Glory” is a film desperately in need more more truth.