Four Brothers (12/20/2005)

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content.

Directed by John Singleton (Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Rosewood, Higher Learning, Poetic Justice)

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content.

Repeat after me, “imitatable behavior.”

It’s hard for me to enjoy a movie when I know that kids who watch it are going to be thinking, “COOL! I’ve gotta try that!”

Director John Singleton, the same guy who brought us Boys in the Hood, now brings us the story of four men labeled the Mercer brothers…four men with no families, and emotional scars to match, but united by one thing, the love and compassion of a kind woman that they all call Mom.

Now, as men, they must return to the Detroit home they grew up in when their adoptive mom is killed in what appears to be a random killing. When the police don’t seem to be interested in justice, or the kind of justice the Mercer boys are interested in anyway, the four brothers go out to seek their own justice—busting caps along the way!

THE GOOD:

• John Singleton knows how to direct. The film is very powerful, despite its violence and language.


• The mother is an incredible picture of compassion and grace in this fallen world. She is a character who accepted these four boys despite all their emotional and behavioral baggage. She is what every youth worker should be.


• The film actually preaches “do the right thing.” They happen to do many wrong things to do “the right thing” . . . but an effort is made to do good in a sort of post-modern morality.

THE BAD:

• John Singleton doesn’t hold any punches telling the story the way he thinks it would look like. So our glimpse of this “reality” gives us a peek at the violence, sex, course talk and profanity that exist in this world. Unfortunately this has become pretty normal in entertainment today.


• Be ready for post-modern religious beliefs as well. Watch the four brothers stop and pray to their “Lord and Savior” in one scene, then curse, fight, and kill in the next. I wonder what they mean by “Lord?”

THE UGLY:
I don’t want you to misunderstand. This film isn’t your average film with “some” violence and foul talk. This film is loaded with it. (And the sad thing is that some audiences really won’t notice it . . . because they’re so used to it.) Get ready for plenty of foul language—over 60 F-words alone. Then be prepared to see people beat-up badly, kicked on the ground, shot and killed. You’ll see blood splattering and a bone sticking out of a leg. You’ll see a guy have sex with a girl sitting on the dryer so she can feel the vibration . . . you get the idea.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Did you read the above paragraph? This one’s a no brainer.

FINAL WORD:
People will forever argue over the subject of censorship. Some feel that in order to achieve realism we need to show life as it is, in all its ugliness. Others believe that it’s never okay to include violence, sex, nudity or course talk in movies and television.

Unfortunately it just isn’t that simple. It’s hard to draw a line at a certain rating or with certain content.

Most people wouldn’t object to seeing a documentary on World War II, but many might object to Saving Private Ryan because of its graphic depiction of war.

Others might really stand against nudity but have no problems with paintings by Michelangelo or Raphael.

Working with kids for over a decade and raising kids of my own, I have to say that one of the biggest problems I have with modern media is “imitatable behavior.” And Four Brothers is loaded with it.

For more on imitatable behavior, check out Jonathan’s review of Hostage (click here).

For more reading about discretion in movie watching, check out Jonathan’s article What Films are Actually Appropriate? Why My 12-year-old Can See Rated 'R' … but Not PG! (CLICK HERE)

Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

1. What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
2. How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
3. How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?