Pride and Glory (film)
Encyclopedia
Pride and Glory is a 2008 crime drama film
directed by Gavin O'Connor. It stars Edward Norton
, Colin Farrell
, Jon Voight
, and Noah Emmerich
. The film was released on October 24, 2008, in the United States.
Deputy Chief Francis Tierney (Jon Voight) is the head of a multigenerational police family, which includes his sons Francis, Jr. (Noah Emmerich), Ray (Edward Norton), and his son-in-law Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell) all being police officers. When four of Francis Jr.'s guys are killed during a shootout turned bad, everything looks straight initially. However, Ray, who is assigned to the investigation, soon discovers something more sinister.
) leads the NYPD to victory in police-league football. While everybody is celebrating, Francis Tierney Jr. (Noah Emmerich
), who was not playing, answers his phone to find out that several men from their unit have been killed in a deadly confrontation. Along with Ray Tierney (Edward Norton
) they rush to the scene and find several dead officers among dead gang-members in a shot-up apartment. Jimmy seems far more stunned than the others, and locks himself in the bathroom. He shatters the mirror while still in his football uniform. Francis Tierney Sr. (Jon Voight
), pushes Ray to lead the task-force unit investigating the incident.
The next day Ray is observing the crime scene with fellow officers, and finds that there was a suspect who escaped through the back of the apartment, and, after hearing it ring in the snow, finds the suspect's cell phone. There is a potential witness. Speaking Spanish, Ray interviews the boy. Through this he determines that the suspect, Angel Tezo, whose picture the boy identified, was bleeding from the stomach and got into a cab. The boy says the cab driver looked scared as Tezo got into the car.
Cut to Jimmy, Kenny Dugan (Shea Whigham
), Reuben "Sandy" Santiago (John Ortiz
) and Eddie Carbone (Frank Grillo
) in a field with the getaway cab. The driver is dead, Tezo is gone. We find that the four officers investigating the cab here are corrupt, they grieve briefly and acknowledge that while their friends and money is gone, only one can be reclaimed. They set about to find Tezo before Ray and the task-force do - failing to do so would expose their corruption. They torch the cab and its dead driver, and leave the scene in their cruisers.
Tezo is seen in an apartment getting stitched up while watching television. There are several people present, engaging in drug use and trafficking. After the doctor stitches Tezo up he is shot dead instead of being paid.
Ray is reviewing the photos and notices one of the dead gangsters from the crime scene was not wearing a belt, and that his shoelaces were gone. This concerns Ray, since it's likely this means the person was locked up shortly before the incident, which doesn't make sense to Ray yet.
Officers arrive where Tezo was being stitched up, and are noticed by his friends while parking their cruiser. Tezo shoots two of his friends, and escapes while his girlfriend runs screaming. Ray interviews her and finds out that Tezo has a friend in the police department, named "Sandy". Ray has the officers who are present to keep this quiet, so he can investigate suspected corruption amongst his brothers and their fellow officers. Later Ray confronts Francis Jr., and shares this information with his older brother, but Francis Jr. lies and says there's no policemen in his division nicknamed "Sandy". Shortly after, Francis Jr. confronts Sandy in the showers. Francis Jr. tells Sandy he's fired after Sandy breaks, telling him that he and the officers in his unit are, in essence, a gang with badges. He says the incident took place because the officers wanted to kill Tezo so they could work with another dealer, but that the hit went bad, with several officers dying and Tezo escaping. Despite being their leader, Francis Jr. seems surprised this behavior has occurred, which surprises Sandy, who thought he'd known all along. Francis fires Sandy.
Jimmy is home with his wife and kids, and is confronted by the dealer Casado, who had paid Jimmy and his squad to kill Tezo, so that they could start working for him. After a heated encounter, Casado walks to his Bentley GT while telling Jimmy that he is going to be killed.
Fearing both Casado and the task-force, Jimmy and the other corrupt officers rush to find and kill Tezo. Jimmy and another officer find that Tezo's cousin is in town. After breaking the door down and beating him, they learn where Tezo is. While this was happening, Ray also finds out where Tezo is (from an old confidential informant/junkie). Ray arrives to find the corrupt officers are nearly done torturing Tezo to death. When Ray (Norton) opposes this, an officer shoots Tezo dead. Ray realizes his brother-in-law Jimmy used his gun to execute Tezo, to make it look like Ray was the one who fired. Ray attacks Jimmy, but realizes he cannot do much as it was his gun that killed Tezo. He calls his older brother, Francis Jr., to tell him their brother-in-law Jimmy just tortured Tezo to death, and then framed him for it.
Francis Jr. is torn between his job and his family; his dying wife encourages him to do what is right, even if it means all this corruption happened under Francis Jr.'s watch, with some of it committed by his brother-in-law Jimmy.
Sandy, having been fired, calls a reporter to do an expose on the corrupt officers. The reporter meets him in a parking lot. Sandy spills everything to the reporter before shooting himself in the head. The next day the newspaper proclaims "Corrupt Cop Cashes-Out".
Both the good and bad officers work to pin this corruption on the four dead policemen from the initial crime scene, along with the now-dead Sandy.
Francis Jr. confronts Jimmy in the bar they all go to. Jimmy is surprised that Francis Jr. is mad, and presumed he already knew what was happening. Francis Jr. admits he allowed Jimmy and the officers some leeway, but is furious at how far they took the corruption. He also tells Jimmy there's no way he'll let him frame Ray for murdering Tezo. Francis is appalled that, after becoming their brother-in-law, that Jimmy got them into this situation. Jimmy offers Francis "his cut". Francis Jr refuses and leaves.
Ray, in a room with internal affairs investigators, tells them the statement isn't going to go how they want it to. He tells them that he was not the one who shot Tezo. He repeatedly refuses to tell them which officer did pull the trigger, protecting brother-in-law Jimmy (and his older brother Francis' dept.).
Francis Sr., a long-time police veteran, is shown privileged testimony regarding Tezo's murder. He sees Jimmy's interview tape, in which Jimmy reluctantly tells the investigators that he witnessed Ray shoot Tezo. Francis Sr. and Ray speak, Francis Sr telling Ray to go along with it, hoping to protect the department. Ray refuses his father's command.
Despite Francis Sr. wanting his children to go along with Jimmy's story, he finds that Francis Jr. intends to come clean, against his father's wishes.
Two members of Jimmy's corrupt crew go to a liquor store, intending to quickly rob it, as they are out of cash and drugs, due to all of the heat on their division. It goes badly, with one of the two being killed, the other holding the store-owner hostage as both police and local gangsters looking on.
Francis Jr. and Ray speak on the phone, they decide to split up to each situation. Francis Jr. goes to the liquor store to talk his officer out of holding the owner hostage, while Ray confronts Jimmy at their bar. Ray orders everyone out. After confronting Jimmy, Ray gets into a fight with him, and emerges victorious. With Francis Jr. successfully getting the officer to release his hostage and get in the cruiser, the two brothers diffused both situations.
Tezo's cousin is among the people in the streets, everyone furious that Tezo was brutally tortured before dying, all the while the policemen are free. When Ray is walking a hand-cuffed Jimmy to his cruiser, the crowd surrounds them looking for vigilante justice. Jimmy asks Ray to give him his weapon back, Ray refuses. Jimmy, finally giving into his circumstances, allows himself to be beaten to death by Tezo's cousin, while the mob holds Ray back.
Ray staggers away from the mob and his dead brother-in-law, to the diffused hostage scene at the liquor store. Francis Jr. and Ray get in a cruiser and drive off.
The film ends with Ray, Francis Jr. and Francis Sr. about to give testimony, presumably the truth now that Jimmy is dead and Francis Jr.'s Dept.'s corruption is obvious.
The film also features Shea Whigham
; Frank Grillo
and John Ortiz
as police officers; Manny Perez
; Lake Bell
; Rick Gonzalez
; Christina Cabot, Jennifer Ehle
as Francis' wife, Abby, and Declan Quinn
. Quinn said the biggest challenge was "[trying] to find a fresh way to do a police drama where it feels real and not like something we've seen a hundred times before."
. The brothers, whose father was a police officer, were given "rare" access to the police department and its officers. Gavin O'Connor described their intent: "My father was a New York City detective, and I grew up in that world. It's a birthday bash of honest cops, which was everything my father was about. Though it is fictional, it is an homage to my father." They also hoped to create a film which evoked those of the 1970s
, using corruption in the police force, as a metaphor for wider institutional corruption. The script was optioned in June 2000 by Fine Line Features
, a subdivision of New Line Cinema
, and Joe Carnahan
was hired to rewrite the script. Production on the film was expected to begin later in 2000, with Gavin O'Connor directing and Gregory O'Connor producing.
In 2001, the project was subject to a turnaround deal, which saw the rights ceded to Intermedia
. Production was expected to start in February 2002 in New York City
, and Mark Wahlberg
and Hugh Jackman
were in talks to star. The film's development was subject to further delays until 2005. Carnahan cited the September 11, 2001 attacks
as the primary reason for the delay: "There was a moment after 9/11, where the notion of doing what might be deemed an anti-cop film, particularly an attack of the NYPD, would be grounds for hanging
."
In September 2005, the rights were once more with New Line Cinema. Production president Toby Emmerich
had been a fan of the script for several years, and the studio entered negotiations with Norton, Farrell and Emmerich to star. Production was set to begin in New York City
in January 2006, though principal photography
did not begin until the following month.
, Atonement
, and American Gangster. In January 2008, New Line announced that it was pushing back the release until 2009, citing both Norton and Farrell's 2008 releases of The Incredible Hulk
, and In Bruges
respectively. The studio has not commented further on the delay, which angered O'Connor. He blamed internal New Line politics for the delay, specifically chairman Bob Shaye, saying, "I don't think [Shaye] believes in it, and he's decided he'll only release [sure bet] films. He never had the decency to call me." O'Connor has said he will withhold delivery of his next script for New Line, Warrior, until he discovered the film's fate, and also looked at the possibility of taking the film to another studio. In February 2008, O'Connor held a screening at the headquarters of talent agency CAA, in order to publicize that the film may need a new distributor.
O'Connor said of the situation, "We've delivered something special and unique, a film that's not for everybody but has something to say. We're all heartbroken." Norton blamed a wider industry "paralysis" for the problems, rather than New Line Cinema: "We're a victim of the moment, and I just hope they will either find a way to give the film its due or graciously let us do it with someone else." Farrell said he believed in the film and called the situation "bizarre".
reported that 34% percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 140 reviews, with the critical consensus being that the film is "Formulaic in its plotting and clichéd in its dialogue, Pride and Glory did little to distinguish itself from other police procedurals." The film was also accused of racism for its portrayal of Dominicans.
, Saw V
, Max Payne
, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua
, respectively, from 2,585 theaters with a $2,423 average.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Gavin O'Connor. It stars Edward Norton
Edward Norton
Edward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
, Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
, Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
, and Noah Emmerich
Noah Emmerich
Noah Nicholas Emmerich is an American film actor who first broke out in the film Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, Super 8 and Little Children.-Early life:Emmerich was born in New York City to a Jewish family,...
. The film was released on October 24, 2008, in the United States.
Deputy Chief Francis Tierney (Jon Voight) is the head of a multigenerational police family, which includes his sons Francis, Jr. (Noah Emmerich), Ray (Edward Norton), and his son-in-law Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell) all being police officers. When four of Francis Jr.'s guys are killed during a shootout turned bad, everything looks straight initially. However, Ray, who is assigned to the investigation, soon discovers something more sinister.
Plot
The movie focuses on a family of 2nd-generation policemen and the corruption pervading their work. Jimmy Egan (Colin FarrellColin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
) leads the NYPD to victory in police-league football. While everybody is celebrating, Francis Tierney Jr. (Noah Emmerich
Noah Emmerich
Noah Nicholas Emmerich is an American film actor who first broke out in the film Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, Super 8 and Little Children.-Early life:Emmerich was born in New York City to a Jewish family,...
), who was not playing, answers his phone to find out that several men from their unit have been killed in a deadly confrontation. Along with Ray Tierney (Edward Norton
Edward Norton
Edward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
) they rush to the scene and find several dead officers among dead gang-members in a shot-up apartment. Jimmy seems far more stunned than the others, and locks himself in the bathroom. He shatters the mirror while still in his football uniform. Francis Tierney Sr. (Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
), pushes Ray to lead the task-force unit investigating the incident.
The next day Ray is observing the crime scene with fellow officers, and finds that there was a suspect who escaped through the back of the apartment, and, after hearing it ring in the snow, finds the suspect's cell phone. There is a potential witness. Speaking Spanish, Ray interviews the boy. Through this he determines that the suspect, Angel Tezo, whose picture the boy identified, was bleeding from the stomach and got into a cab. The boy says the cab driver looked scared as Tezo got into the car.
Cut to Jimmy, Kenny Dugan (Shea Whigham
Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:...
), Reuben "Sandy" Santiago (John Ortiz
John Ortiz
John Ortiz is an American actor and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of LAByrinth Theater Company.-Career:In 1993, John made his film debut as Al Pacino’s young cousin ‘Guajiro’ in Carlito’s Way. He went on to appear in over 30 films including El Cantante, Take the Lead, Before Night Falls, Amistad,...
) and Eddie Carbone (Frank Grillo
Frank Grillo
Frank Grillo is an American actor.-Career:Grillo is perhaps best known for his role as Nick Savrinn in Season One of Prison Break. He also had roles in other television shows and movies, including Blind Justice and Battery Park...
) in a field with the getaway cab. The driver is dead, Tezo is gone. We find that the four officers investigating the cab here are corrupt, they grieve briefly and acknowledge that while their friends and money is gone, only one can be reclaimed. They set about to find Tezo before Ray and the task-force do - failing to do so would expose their corruption. They torch the cab and its dead driver, and leave the scene in their cruisers.
Tezo is seen in an apartment getting stitched up while watching television. There are several people present, engaging in drug use and trafficking. After the doctor stitches Tezo up he is shot dead instead of being paid.
Ray is reviewing the photos and notices one of the dead gangsters from the crime scene was not wearing a belt, and that his shoelaces were gone. This concerns Ray, since it's likely this means the person was locked up shortly before the incident, which doesn't make sense to Ray yet.
Officers arrive where Tezo was being stitched up, and are noticed by his friends while parking their cruiser. Tezo shoots two of his friends, and escapes while his girlfriend runs screaming. Ray interviews her and finds out that Tezo has a friend in the police department, named "Sandy". Ray has the officers who are present to keep this quiet, so he can investigate suspected corruption amongst his brothers and their fellow officers. Later Ray confronts Francis Jr., and shares this information with his older brother, but Francis Jr. lies and says there's no policemen in his division nicknamed "Sandy". Shortly after, Francis Jr. confronts Sandy in the showers. Francis Jr. tells Sandy he's fired after Sandy breaks, telling him that he and the officers in his unit are, in essence, a gang with badges. He says the incident took place because the officers wanted to kill Tezo so they could work with another dealer, but that the hit went bad, with several officers dying and Tezo escaping. Despite being their leader, Francis Jr. seems surprised this behavior has occurred, which surprises Sandy, who thought he'd known all along. Francis fires Sandy.
Jimmy is home with his wife and kids, and is confronted by the dealer Casado, who had paid Jimmy and his squad to kill Tezo, so that they could start working for him. After a heated encounter, Casado walks to his Bentley GT while telling Jimmy that he is going to be killed.
Fearing both Casado and the task-force, Jimmy and the other corrupt officers rush to find and kill Tezo. Jimmy and another officer find that Tezo's cousin is in town. After breaking the door down and beating him, they learn where Tezo is. While this was happening, Ray also finds out where Tezo is (from an old confidential informant/junkie). Ray arrives to find the corrupt officers are nearly done torturing Tezo to death. When Ray (Norton) opposes this, an officer shoots Tezo dead. Ray realizes his brother-in-law Jimmy used his gun to execute Tezo, to make it look like Ray was the one who fired. Ray attacks Jimmy, but realizes he cannot do much as it was his gun that killed Tezo. He calls his older brother, Francis Jr., to tell him their brother-in-law Jimmy just tortured Tezo to death, and then framed him for it.
Francis Jr. is torn between his job and his family; his dying wife encourages him to do what is right, even if it means all this corruption happened under Francis Jr.'s watch, with some of it committed by his brother-in-law Jimmy.
Sandy, having been fired, calls a reporter to do an expose on the corrupt officers. The reporter meets him in a parking lot. Sandy spills everything to the reporter before shooting himself in the head. The next day the newspaper proclaims "Corrupt Cop Cashes-Out".
Both the good and bad officers work to pin this corruption on the four dead policemen from the initial crime scene, along with the now-dead Sandy.
Francis Jr. confronts Jimmy in the bar they all go to. Jimmy is surprised that Francis Jr. is mad, and presumed he already knew what was happening. Francis Jr. admits he allowed Jimmy and the officers some leeway, but is furious at how far they took the corruption. He also tells Jimmy there's no way he'll let him frame Ray for murdering Tezo. Francis is appalled that, after becoming their brother-in-law, that Jimmy got them into this situation. Jimmy offers Francis "his cut". Francis Jr refuses and leaves.
Ray, in a room with internal affairs investigators, tells them the statement isn't going to go how they want it to. He tells them that he was not the one who shot Tezo. He repeatedly refuses to tell them which officer did pull the trigger, protecting brother-in-law Jimmy (and his older brother Francis' dept.).
Francis Sr., a long-time police veteran, is shown privileged testimony regarding Tezo's murder. He sees Jimmy's interview tape, in which Jimmy reluctantly tells the investigators that he witnessed Ray shoot Tezo. Francis Sr. and Ray speak, Francis Sr telling Ray to go along with it, hoping to protect the department. Ray refuses his father's command.
Despite Francis Sr. wanting his children to go along with Jimmy's story, he finds that Francis Jr. intends to come clean, against his father's wishes.
Two members of Jimmy's corrupt crew go to a liquor store, intending to quickly rob it, as they are out of cash and drugs, due to all of the heat on their division. It goes badly, with one of the two being killed, the other holding the store-owner hostage as both police and local gangsters looking on.
Francis Jr. and Ray speak on the phone, they decide to split up to each situation. Francis Jr. goes to the liquor store to talk his officer out of holding the owner hostage, while Ray confronts Jimmy at their bar. Ray orders everyone out. After confronting Jimmy, Ray gets into a fight with him, and emerges victorious. With Francis Jr. successfully getting the officer to release his hostage and get in the cruiser, the two brothers diffused both situations.
Tezo's cousin is among the people in the streets, everyone furious that Tezo was brutally tortured before dying, all the while the policemen are free. When Ray is walking a hand-cuffed Jimmy to his cruiser, the crowd surrounds them looking for vigilante justice. Jimmy asks Ray to give him his weapon back, Ray refuses. Jimmy, finally giving into his circumstances, allows himself to be beaten to death by Tezo's cousin, while the mob holds Ray back.
Ray staggers away from the mob and his dead brother-in-law, to the diffused hostage scene at the liquor store. Francis Jr. and Ray get in a cruiser and drive off.
The film ends with Ray, Francis Jr. and Francis Sr. about to give testimony, presumably the truth now that Jimmy is dead and Francis Jr.'s Dept.'s corruption is obvious.
Cast
- Edward NortonEdward NortonEdward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
as Ray Tierney - Colin FarrellColin FarrellColin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
as Jimmy Egan - Jon VoightJon VoightJonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
as Francis Tierney Sr. Nick NolteNick NolteNicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
was originally cast in the role, but after a chronic knee injury became too severe, he was unable to perform and was replaced by Voight. - Noah EmmerichNoah EmmerichNoah Nicholas Emmerich is an American film actor who first broke out in the film Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, Super 8 and Little Children.-Early life:Emmerich was born in New York City to a Jewish family,...
as Francis Tierney Jr. Emmerich had previously starred in Gavin O'Connor's TumbleweedsTumbleweedsTumbleweeds was a popular long-run comic strip which offered a skewed perspective on life in the Old West. Writer-artist Tom K. Ryan was very familiar with conventions of the Western genre he satirized...
and MiracleMiracle (film)Miracle is a 2004 American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice...
.
The film also features Shea Whigham
Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:...
; Frank Grillo
Frank Grillo
Frank Grillo is an American actor.-Career:Grillo is perhaps best known for his role as Nick Savrinn in Season One of Prison Break. He also had roles in other television shows and movies, including Blind Justice and Battery Park...
and John Ortiz
John Ortiz
John Ortiz is an American actor and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of LAByrinth Theater Company.-Career:In 1993, John made his film debut as Al Pacino’s young cousin ‘Guajiro’ in Carlito’s Way. He went on to appear in over 30 films including El Cantante, Take the Lead, Before Night Falls, Amistad,...
as police officers; Manny Perez
Manny Perez
Manuel "Manny" Pérez Batista is a Dominican actor, who has appeared in the television series Third Watch and in the film Washington Heights. Pérez was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and currently resides in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.Pérez is one of 11 siblings...
; Lake Bell
Lake Bell
-Early life:Bell was born in New York City, the daughter of Robin Bell, owner of the design firm Robin Bell Design, Inc. in New York, and Harvey Siegel. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant, and Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional family".Bell attended The...
; Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture Coach Carter, and as Ben Gonzalez on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper.-Early life:...
; Christina Cabot, Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Ehle is an American actress of stage and screen. She is known for her BAFTA winning role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice.-Early life:...
as Francis' wife, Abby, and Declan Quinn
Declan Quinn
Declan Quinn is an Irish-American cinematographer and a three-time winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Quinn is one of five children. His four siblings, the most famous of whom is Aidan, are actors...
. Quinn said the biggest challenge was "[trying] to find a fresh way to do a police drama where it feels real and not like something we've seen a hundred times before."
Production
Gavin O'Connor and his brother Gregory began writing the film with New York City police officer Robert A. Hopes in 1999, after the completion of TumbleweedsTumbleweeds (1999 film)
Tumbleweeds is a 1999 American drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor. He co-wrote the screenplay with his then-wife Angela Shelton, who was inspired by her memories of a childhood spent on the road with her serial-marrying mother.-Plot:...
. The brothers, whose father was a police officer, were given "rare" access to the police department and its officers. Gavin O'Connor described their intent: "My father was a New York City detective, and I grew up in that world. It's a birthday bash of honest cops, which was everything my father was about. Though it is fictional, it is an homage to my father." They also hoped to create a film which evoked those of the 1970s
1970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
, using corruption in the police force, as a metaphor for wider institutional corruption. The script was optioned in June 2000 by Fine Line Features
Fine Line Features
Fine Line Features was the speciality films division of New Line Cinema. It produced, purchased, distributed and marketed films of a more "indie" flavor than its parent company...
, a subdivision of New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
, and Joe Carnahan
Joe Carnahan
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Carnahan is an American independent film director, screenwriter, producer and actor best known for his films Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane, Narc, Smokin' Aces and The A-Team...
was hired to rewrite the script. Production on the film was expected to begin later in 2000, with Gavin O'Connor directing and Gregory O'Connor producing.
In 2001, the project was subject to a turnaround deal, which saw the rights ceded to Intermedia
Intermedia (production company)
Intermedia is a film production company, wholly owned by IM Internationalmedia AG.The company mostly acts as a co-producer, funding films through the IMF funds.-History:...
. Production was expected to start in February 2002 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...
and Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
were in talks to star. The film's development was subject to further delays until 2005. Carnahan cited the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
as the primary reason for the delay: "There was a moment after 9/11, where the notion of doing what might be deemed an anti-cop film, particularly an attack of the NYPD, would be grounds for hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
."
In September 2005, the rights were once more with New Line Cinema. Production president Toby Emmerich
Toby Emmerich
Toby Emmerich is an American producer, film executive, and screenwriter. He was born in New York City, the son of Constance , a concert pianist, and André Emmerich , a Frankfurt-born gallery owner and art dealer...
had been a fan of the script for several years, and the studio entered negotiations with Norton, Farrell and Emmerich to star. Production was set to begin in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in January 2006, though principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
did not begin until the following month.
Release
Pride and Glory was originally scheduled for release on March 14, 2008, and trailers for the film appeared, with showings of No Country for Old MenNo Country for Old Men (film)
No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American crime thriller directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. The film was adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name...
, Atonement
Atonement (film)
Atonement is a 2007 British romantic suspense war film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The film stars James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan. It was produced by Working Title Films and filmed throughout the summer of 2006...
, and American Gangster. In January 2008, New Line announced that it was pushing back the release until 2009, citing both Norton and Farrell's 2008 releases of The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (film)
The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, and In Bruges
In Bruges
In Bruges is a 2008 black comedy crime film written and directed by Martin McDonagh. The film stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two hitmen in hiding, with Ralph Fiennes as their gangster boss. The film takes place—and was filmed—within the Belgian city of Bruges. In Bruges was...
respectively. The studio has not commented further on the delay, which angered O'Connor. He blamed internal New Line politics for the delay, specifically chairman Bob Shaye, saying, "I don't think [Shaye] believes in it, and he's decided he'll only release [sure bet] films. He never had the decency to call me." O'Connor has said he will withhold delivery of his next script for New Line, Warrior, until he discovered the film's fate, and also looked at the possibility of taking the film to another studio. In February 2008, O'Connor held a screening at the headquarters of talent agency CAA, in order to publicize that the film may need a new distributor.
O'Connor said of the situation, "We've delivered something special and unique, a film that's not for everybody but has something to say. We're all heartbroken." Norton blamed a wider industry "paralysis" for the problems, rather than New Line Cinema: "We're a victim of the moment, and I just hope they will either find a way to give the film its due or graciously let us do it with someone else." Farrell said he believed in the film and called the situation "bizarre".
Critical reaction
The film was eventually released on October 24, 2008 in United States. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 34% percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 140 reviews, with the critical consensus being that the film is "Formulaic in its plotting and clichéd in its dialogue, Pride and Glory did little to distinguish itself from other police procedurals." The film was also accused of racism for its portrayal of Dominicans.
Box office
As of January 28, 2009, the film has grossed $43,440,721 worldwide. In North America, the film opened at #5 with $6,262,396 behind High School Musical 3: Senior YearHigh School Musical 3: Senior Year
High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a 2008 American romantic musical film and the third and final installment in the High School Musical trilogy. Its theatrical release in the United States began on October 24, 2008...
, Saw V
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...
, Max Payne
Max Payne (film)
Max Payne is a 2008 noir action film based on the 2001 video game of the same name by Remedy Entertainment. It was written by Beau Thorne and was directed by John Moore. The film stars Mark Wahlberg in the title role as Max Payne, Mila Kunis as Mona Sax, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Jim Bravura and...
, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a 2008 family comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is directed by Raja Gosnell and released on October 3, 2008...
, respectively, from 2,585 theaters with a $2,423 average.