Pride and Glory

A fantastically gritty but entirely graceful cop drama that ranks as one of the finest I've seen in years. Unlike most b-movies that slip into this genre, this film contains absolutely brilliantly drawn characters brimming with conflict, different motivations, unique in every way, but also closely tied together. Co-writer and director Gavin O'Connor has a tremendous understanding of the dense dark material in this movie, and he does a beautiful job capturing each character's reaction to everything going on, and making sure that we as an audience member understand the heavy implication of everything that we see. That cast are all tactfully intense and at times overwhelmingly believable, in particular the continually surprising Colin Farrell. The visual style in Pride and Glory is also exceptional and worth noting, invoking a subtle but gorgeous colour palette that suits the sets, costumes, and tone of the movie perfectly. And the unusual size choices and framing with the handheld camera makes for a very unique take on somewhat of a familiar technique. This is a tragically overlooked film brimming with substance that may not have the age-old artistry of a movie like The Departed, but is a far more powerful, and truly exemplary cop drama.