Pride and Glory DVD Review

With the January 27th DVD release of Pride and Glory, directed by Gavin O’Connor, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema present an emotionally charged story about a multi-generational police family who find themselves on opposite sides of incendiary corruption scandal in the New York City Police Department. The release includes a 2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition.

The story begins as four New York City cops are dead. The four were killed in an ambush as the team was attempting to bust a serious drug dealer. Chief of Detectives Francis Tierney, Sr. (Jon Voigt) asks his son, Detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton), to lead the investigation. Ray is reluctant to take over the investigation since his brother, Francis Jr. (Noah Emmerich), is head of the team that was involved, and his brother-in-law, Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell) served with the men.

As Ray follows the chain of dead bodies and forges ahead with his investigation, he soon learns that there may be more to the story than just a drug bust gone bad. Family ties may be at risk as Ray, a morally convicted cop by nature, starts to see that Francis and Jimmy may have some knowledge of questionable activity in the police department.

Filmed in Washington Heights, Pride and Glory is full of emotional drama that takes the viewer in many different directions. There are sad moments, uplifting moments of character, anger over injustices, and frustration over the quandry that Ray is in. The film is captivating, delivers a well-developed and laid out story, and an excellent cast.

Noah Emmerich is especially great as the career-driven police commander who must decide between right and wrong, with the prospect of a promotion and the pending death of his wife (from cancer) on his mind. Colin Farrell is in a role that suits him. Farrell also played a cop in the 2009 Golden Globe winning movie, In Bruges. However, in Pride and Glory, Farrell is at his best as a hard-edged, emotionally-charged character. Jon Voigt is also effective as the paternal figure to the story and the main players.

The loan question mark with Pride and Glory was Ed Norton as the protagonist in the story. Norton is undoubtedly a great actor who has delivered some great roles. He was a good fit as the moral backbone for the film, but it was harder to get into his moments of police aggression and intensity. There was one particular scene in which his character questions a druggie for information. The tough guy approach seemed awkward. Regardless, Pride and Glory is a deep story, has a nice cast, and offers a captivating movie experience.

Official Movie Site
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 130 minutes
DVD Release Date: January 27, 2009