Leo Handler comes home after a jail stretch for stealing cars. A full-blown Ryker's graduate, he's a bit inarticulate, a bit reserved and frankly at a loss as to how he can earn some decent money to support his ailing mum. He falls in with his old crowd of friends, who ostensibly are a nice enough bunch. His buddy Willie hustles for Uncle Frank, who's head of a company that contracts out to the New York Subway department, mending the trains. You might imagine that to be a proud, honest and responsible profession, but think again. It's an industry riddled with corruption and intimidation, as murky and brutal as weapons-dealing. Payouts, bribes, kickbacks (all under the banner euphemism "looking after people") grease the wheels of this institutionalised back-stabbing, the rot reaching as high as public officials. Sabotage is rife, as are threats and recriminations as the rival contractors vie for the coveted, profitable subway contracts.
Leo doesn't have the patience or time to graduate as a machinist, and before long he's accompanying Willie to clandestine meetings where money, or nice clothes and sports tickets, change hands like the most natural thing in the world. But the best laid plans go off the rails: as fiction has proved time and time again, there's nothing harder than trouble for an ex-con to stay out of. Before long Leo is in over his head, when a night-time raid on rival-Waltech's trains goes badly wrong. Leo finds himself wrongfully accused of murder, and there's a cop in a coma. Worse, Willie and his mates go to ground as Leo legs it, happy for him to take the rap and even happier for him to have to get his hands dirty. Leo is pursed not only cops, but also his extended 'family', who want him silenced before he gets caught. The incident in The Yards turns unwanted media attention on the business' sinister policies; everyone's in jeopardy of a grand-duty indictment.
James Gray has been dormant for too long. This is that rare, rare breed of crime film. It's mature, superbly crafted and while brilliantly stylised, design never overshadows content. It's an adult film. Too many gangster films indulge in OTT violence and gloss, revelling in the brutality they should probably condemn as they try to ape Scorsese. The keynote of The Yards is restraint and a sombre tone. The muted colour scheme and precise 'scope framing (kudos to cinematographer Harris Savides) never draw attention to themselves, but along with excellent, plausible art direction create a dark, dangerous world, where the corruption of the train lines spills over into (or better put, infects) the home. The performances, too, are excellent. Mark Wahlberg's mumbling and stoop captures Leo's uncertainty and isolation very well. James Caan and Joaquin Phoenix are also excellent, always hinting at the violence and betrayal that lurks behind their clean-cut image.
Some viewers might be initially put-off by the downbeat tone, but stick with it. Gray conjures up some superb set pieces, relying on incredible sound-design and lighting to create spell-binding tension, all of which is anathema to your regular shoot 'em-up action sequences. With its use of slow-motion, wide-angle lenses, precise lighting and hinting (rather that showing) of the community that lies beyond the home and 'hood, the films creates the impression of small characters struggling against a bigger, wider system that they seek to control. The use of music, notably Holst's Saturn, gives the film a celestial, timeless feel, but this rarefied atmosphere is married off by a feel for Leo's predicament and working-class background.
There are problems. The filmmakers almost overdo the sobriety and restraint to the extent it sometimes stifles suspense, and the narrative climaxes a good ten minutes before the end, even though the coda is moving. But it's still an excellent film, and I can't wait for Gray's next.
Leo doesn't have the patience or time to graduate as a machinist, and before long he's accompanying Willie to clandestine meetings where money, or nice clothes and sports tickets, change hands like the most natural thing in the world. But the best laid plans go off the rails: as fiction has proved time and time again, there's nothing harder than trouble for an ex-con to stay out of. Before long Leo is in over his head, when a night-time raid on rival-Waltech's trains goes badly wrong. Leo finds himself wrongfully accused of murder, and there's a cop in a coma. Worse, Willie and his mates go to ground as Leo legs it, happy for him to take the rap and even happier for him to have to get his hands dirty. Leo is pursed not only cops, but also his extended 'family', who want him silenced before he gets caught. The incident in The Yards turns unwanted media attention on the business' sinister policies; everyone's in jeopardy of a grand-duty indictment.
James Gray has been dormant for too long. This is that rare, rare breed of crime film. It's mature, superbly crafted and while brilliantly stylised, design never overshadows content. It's an adult film. Too many gangster films indulge in OTT violence and gloss, revelling in the brutality they should probably condemn as they try to ape Scorsese. The keynote of The Yards is restraint and a sombre tone. The muted colour scheme and precise 'scope framing (kudos to cinematographer Harris Savides) never draw attention to themselves, but along with excellent, plausible art direction create a dark, dangerous world, where the corruption of the train lines spills over into (or better put, infects) the home. The performances, too, are excellent. Mark Wahlberg's mumbling and stoop captures Leo's uncertainty and isolation very well. James Caan and Joaquin Phoenix are also excellent, always hinting at the violence and betrayal that lurks behind their clean-cut image.
Some viewers might be initially put-off by the downbeat tone, but stick with it. Gray conjures up some superb set pieces, relying on incredible sound-design and lighting to create spell-binding tension, all of which is anathema to your regular shoot 'em-up action sequences. With its use of slow-motion, wide-angle lenses, precise lighting and hinting (rather that showing) of the community that lies beyond the home and 'hood, the films creates the impression of small characters struggling against a bigger, wider system that they seek to control. The use of music, notably Holst's Saturn, gives the film a celestial, timeless feel, but this rarefied atmosphere is married off by a feel for Leo's predicament and working-class background.
There are problems. The filmmakers almost overdo the sobriety and restraint to the extent it sometimes stifles suspense, and the narrative climaxes a good ten minutes before the end, even though the coda is moving. But it's still an excellent film, and I can't wait for Gray's next.