Pride and Glory

  • Review Date: October 23, 2008
  • R
  • Genre: Drama
  • 2008
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Mature crooked-cop drama is no Departed.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this police drama tackles mature themes that aren't likely to appeal to younger viewers. Older teens familiar with stars Colin Farrell and Edward Norton may be interested, but this is definitely a parents'-night-out pick. There's hard-R language (including "f--k" and its derivatives) and realistic violence that includes multiple shoot-outs and execution-style murders, a suicide, a baby's life put in jeopardy, and a substantial amount of blood. The sex is limited to married couples kissing and embracing and one quick glimpse of a moaning drug dealer and his girlfriend. Drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol are prevalent.

  • The film's main themes revolve around moral ambiguity, criminal justice, family loyalty, and greed. All of the gangsters portrayed in the movie are Hispanic, while nearly all of the cops are white, but this isn't inaccurate considering the New York neighborhood where the action takes place. A cop calls Spanish "that monkey language."
  • Violence is realistic and bloody. Dead bodies are shown lying in pools of blood; people are shot execution style; blood splatter is visible on windows and on the ground; a character commits suicide by shooting himself; two characters have a bloody fist fight; someone is beaten to death; a character threatens to disfigure/kill an infant; and more.
  • Couples kiss and embrace; a drug dealer seems to have sex with his girlfriend in front of other people.
  • Strong and frequent language, most notably "f--k" and its derivatives. Other frequently used words include "a--hole," "bitch," and "s--t." Spanish speakers should be aware that there are also plenty of unsubtitled vulgarities in scenes featuring the gangsters.
  • Not applicable.
  • Drug dealing is a major part of the story, so there are a couple of quick glimpses of characters using drugs; several characters smoke and drink heavily in bars or elsewhere; one man is portrayed as a borderline alcoholic.

What's the story?

In PRIDE AND GLORY, Edward Norton plays Ray Tierney, a conflicted, second-generation NYPD officer whose older brother Frannie (Noah Emmerich) and brother-in-law Jimmy (Colin Farrell) are also among New York City's Finest. When a suspicious shoot-out leaves four officers in Frannie and Jimmy's precinct dead, Ray reluctantly agrees to join a task force to investigate the murders. What he discovers, much to his high-ranking father's (Jon Voight) horror, is that Jimmy and his station's cronies sell their services and protection to the highest-paying thugs on the streets they patrol.


Is it any good?

 

While much of the story is predictable, the movie is saved by the performances, especially Norton's and Emmerich's. And Farrell is alternately nuanced and over-the-top but ultimately excels as the shady, unrepentant Jimmy. Unfortunately, things get bogged down by the personal subplots involving the women in the cops' lives, especially the unresolved relationship between Ray and his estranged wife, Tasha (Carmen Ejogo). Jennifer Ehle, who's a brilliant, underrated actress reminiscent of a younger Meryl Streep, does her best as Frannie's cancer-stricken wife, but essentially, the women are one-dimensional.

The most realistic aspect of director Gavin O'Connor's story is how seamlessly he integrated the Dominican gang culture of New York's Washington Heights into the picture. The soundtrack features several songs by popular Latino rappers and Reggaeton stars; the Spanish-speaking characters are actually played by native speakers who can spit out streams of colloquialisms without taking a breath. Granted, it might still be considered un-PC to depict a community as full of gun-toting dealers, but at least O'Connor paid attention to the neighborhood. But that sliver of authenticity can't make up for the fact that this is an overlong crime drama that takes itself too seriously and obviously aims for the heights of Martin Scorsese's The Departed but falls somewhere slightly below the mark of We Own the Night.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

Families can talk about the characters' various moral dilemmas. The men were stuck between loyalty to their brothers in blue -- not to mention their actual family -- and their duty to serve and protect. Even unethical characters aren't completely villainous. What motivated Jimmy and his crew to become corrupt? What do you think would have happened if Ray had made a different decision? How is this movie similar to other cop dramas? Do you think this kind of movie needs to include strong violence to be seen as realistic? Why or why not?


This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Adult
June 11, 2010
 
We should change it to "no Kids"
It is a good movie but if you are gonna prohibit swearing in your house DON'T let your kids watch this movie until you are prepared to hear them curse this movie has enough f-bombs to rival the power of Mt St Helens. And there is a lot of other bad words in the film too. I guarantee you if you let a kid watch this they will be saying f--- in no time.

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 3, 11, 12, and 17 year old
January 21, 2009
 
Corny Drama is No Where Near Departed
please skip this

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Studio:New Line
Director:Gavin O'Connor
Cast:Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, Noah Emmerich
Genre:Drama
Run time:125 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 24, 2008
DVD release date:January 27, 2009
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:strong violence, pervasive language and brief drug content.

This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Video review


About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you see Pride and Glory?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it