The Yards

This movie has a "Godfather" feel to it, but it fell short of that goal. The story concerns a look at the dark side of the NY rail yard business, but there is little substance to the plot, which often rambles, and is slow in too many spots to redeem it. The acting is first rate, however, with many recognizable stars.

Mark Wahleberg plays a parolee recently returned to his old neighborhood. He tries to find a job with his Uncle's rail union and fails due to his lack of experience but his best friend gives him a job making people happy. Before Mark knows it he is wanted for murder and assault on a police officer. He has nobody to turn to because all of his friends in "The Family" are now looking for him also. Wahleberg is becoming a better actor with each movie. The rest of the cast includes people like Faye Dunaway, James Caan, Charlize Theron, and Joaquin Phoenix. It should have been a good movie. The second time I woke back up I quit watching.

This movie was SUPERB! The Yards is classic moviemaking. Good acting, good chemistry, a tight, solid unique narrative, and a sensitive director bring this movie to the top of my personal favorites. I don't understand how this movie was overlooked. New York Times rated it on of the years 10 best. I agree. (By the way: I'm sorry Mr. Gray that this movie was overlooked by the studio marketers, it was a bad decision on their part.)

Well the 6.4/10 vote for this movie really surprises me . I thought it was excellent . In fact I liked it so much I bought the DVD . Normally if I see anything with Mark Wahlberg I instantly pass but after seeing this movie it made me change my opinion of the guy . Nice dark thriller with a good story and great acting . 9 out of 10 .

Nice idea, but the director wanted to tell too much about everyone and not enough about one or two characters. Did we really know enough about Leo before he arrived home? Did his mother really need to have a heart condition? Was it necessary for Erica to give her step father the respect ala Godfather. Couldn't this have been her real father? Just too much in one film. Focus focus focus!

I have just seen the Film at the London Film Festival. I thought that it was nothing special, the script anyway. I don't know why it just needed something more!! Some brilliant acting, James Caan was brilliant as Mark Wahlbergs corrupt Uncle, He was kind but still sometimes quite scary, is a threatening kinda way. Joaquin Phoenix was also brilliant. He was doing his 'Bad-man-who-can-cry' role again, but he did it excellently. You believed him! Chalize Theron, was also very good. Mark Wahlberg, was, well, Mark Wahlberg, the performance was OK but it's what you expected from him. Although the script was missing something, the ending with Charlize Theron's character was good, you expect it, but you don't.

It's perhaps the classic film of Mark Wahlberg and in the top two of Joaquin Phoenix, not just for their studied playings, but their colleagues', the direction, editing, conception, most of the whole production. The directing with editing are very fine indeed. The cinematography is so immaculate I didn't even think of it until the end. Top stuff. I think an average of around 6 stars is really low for this king of all morality tales. It's not perfect, and does have a simplistic edge (what do you expect for a Big Apple 'street' morality fable?) but others have agreed with me that it's one of the best productions of the whole genre in modern film. It deserves an 8 to 10 star average, while it's not the kind of film which is made particularly for repeated viewings. Some are, some aren't, but as a once in a long time watch, this amazing opera like fable is immaculately constructed.