Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg in "The Yards."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix and James Caan Director: James Gray Rated: R, with profanity, violence and sex Length: 115 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(October 27, 2000) -- James Gray's The Yards is a bittersweet and affecting family drama, played out in the guise of a traditional urban tale of gangsters and corruption.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Leo Handler, a young man fresh from prison, trying to get a new start in life. He turns to his family and friends who work in the New York City subway yards. He has no idea his "fresh start" will entangle him in sabotage, violence and betrayal.

His point of entry is his Uncle Frank (James Caan), the head of a firm that manufactures subway parts and handles major repairs. Much of the work is highly competitive and is bid out -- a situation ripe for corruption and bribery.

Frank tries to protect his nephew by offering him a relatively safe factory job -- though it requires taking classes. Leo is looking for something with a faster track, and finds it on the crews headed by an old family friend, Willie (Joaquin Phoenix). It turns out the crews are the "muscle" who peddle influence and disrupt competitors' work.

Willie also is dating Frank's step-daughter, Erica (Charlize Theron), who also has Leo's eye.

That's just one example of the complications that arise among the characters in The Yards. The film is rich in complex characters -- and we're drawn more into their strained relationships than into the more superficial aspects of the gangland story.

Gray based the script, in part, on his father and other family members and friends who worked in the subway system -- and that reality comes through.

It may also have influenced a bit of wishful thinking in the film's too-pat finale -- the only flaw in this heartfelt gem.

Wahlberg offers a restrained, thoughtful performance as the young ex-con, trying to go straight. And he, too, was reportedly influenced by his own past. (He served prison time before emerging as a rap singer, model and actor.)

Equally good is Phoenix, who manages to suggest a vulnerability, sadly sympathetic side to a character who might have seemed merely a thug in lesser hands.

Though given less to do, the film's three fine actresses -- Theron and two veterans, Ellen Burstyn and Faye Dunaway (who play Leo's mother and aunt) -- also bring more depth and purpose than you might expect to their supporting roles.

The director's model for his film, though, is The Godfather. He emulates Francis Coppola's masterpiece through the warmly golden imagery of cinematographer Harris Savides, the sweep of Howard Shore's music, and the richness of the characters.

Casting James Caan further heightens the Godfather comparison, but Caan admirably carves out a character far removed from the volatile Sonny Corleone. Here he's a world-weary guy caught up in a dirty business, struggling for some element of decency while trying to protect his family. It's easily Caan's best performance in years, and deserves Oscar consideration.

The Yards also carries echoes of Mean Streets (in the relationship between the young men, Leo and Willie) and On the Waterfront (as Leo struggles with his conscience about the corruption that surrounds him).

That The Yards achieves its own strong identity in the shadow of three such classics of American cinema testifies to its artistry and heart.