‘Four Brothers’ Questions How Far You’re Willing to Go for Justice | Movie Review

Photo by Paramount Pictures

Four Brothers (2005) turned 20 years old on August 12, 2025, so here’s my take on this violent, yet heartwarming film. I don’t remember when I discovered this movie, but I was either in high school or college. This movie is very different from the family-friendly films I preferred growing up such as Despicable Me (2010), The Parent Trap (1998), She’s the Man (2006), and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011). While Four Brothers wasn’t my usual forte, I was intrigued by the story of four men who share a bond that’s stronger than blood. Also, I’m a fan of Mark Wahlberg’s movies. I’m not a superfan, to the point where I own all of his movies, but I think he’s a great actor and I like what he does. 

Four Brothers is about four brothers (shocker) who plan to take matters into their own hands when their adoptive mother is wrongfully killed in what was originally deemed a convenience store robbery, but turns out to be a setup for something much deeper than that. The movie stars Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund. Taraji P. Henson and Sofía Vergara have supporting roles in the film. Besides the four brothers coming from different backgrounds, each brother has their own unique characteristics and personalities. Bobby Mercer (played by Wahlberg), the oldest, is hot-tempered and makes irrational decisions on a whim. Jeremiah Mercer (played by Benjamin), the second oldest, is a sensible family man. Angel Mercer (played by Gibson), the third oldest, is an ex-hustler and former US Marine. Jack Mercer (played by Hedlund), the youngest, is a troubled kid aspiring to be a rock musician.

Despite the crimes they commit in the film, each brother possesses likeable qualities that make viewers root for them. Bobby, for example, loves to tease his little brother, Jack, but he would do anything to protect him because he loves and cares for him. There’s this great scene at the beginning of the film, where Bobby sees Jack is distraught after their mother’s funeral and goes to comfort him. He’s a big tough guy, but he’s not afraid to tell his brother he loves him. All of the brothers truly loved their adoptive mother, Evelyn Mercer, and in a bizarre way, they do all those nasty things in the film as an act of love, so that she can rest in peace. The brothers, especially Bobby, see that the justice system is corrupt and that the police won’t be any help to them, therefore, Four Brothers questions how far you’re willing to go until justice prevails. 

It took me several rewatches to understand the logistics behind the gangsters and how getting involved with the wrong people led up to Evelyn’s death. Not that the plot was confusing in any way, but because I’m not used to crime films, I had to change my way of thinking to really understand what each character was going through and what was happening around them. From a psychological standpoint, Jeremiah looks like he has a perfect life with a wife and kids. But in reality, his construction business was failing and he had to take care of Evelyn by himself because his brothers weren’t around. Jeremiah’s character is constantly tested on how far he can go as a human being. Should he get involved with these people? Should he kill this person? Should he pay this person the money so that they won’t come after his family? 

My favorite scene in the movie is when Bobby and Angel kill the shooters who were hired to kill their mother while Jack watches in horror. It’s such a powerful scene, but also another example of Bobby protecting his little brother. Right before the killings, Bobby tells Jack to wait by the car while he and Angel take care of the shooters. The reason he does that is because he knows Jack is not a killer and wants to protect his little brother from the violence about to take place. Despite Jack playing a crucial part in their violent investigations and revenge-fueled adventures, Bobby knows that Jack is mentally incapable of killing anyone. Therefore, as his oldest brother, Bobby would do anything to prevent Jack from walking down that same path he’s experienced before. 

My only issue with Four Brothers is I wish we got to see more of Evelyn’s relationship with her adopted sons and how it evolved over the years. It was established in the film that she had a huge impact on each of her adopted sons, but I felt like we were still missing something as viewers. Jeremiah said he was paying Evelyn’s medical bills because his brothers weren’t around. So, why did Bobby, Jack, and Angel move away from home? Did they have a falling out with each other? If they wanted to pursue different career paths, why couldn’t they do that closer to home? Angel was in the Marines, so I wonder if that played a part in him leaving home. While that missing piece of the story left me puzzled, it doesn’t hinder or detriment the film in any way, thankfully. 

What makes Four Brothers so great is the chemistry between the four brothers. Viewers really believe that they would do anything for each other. Even Jeremiah and Bobby, who are as opposite as can be. Jeremiah may not agree with Bobby’s temperamental ways, but he always has his brother’s back. Here are four guys who don’t even look alike and aren’t blood related, yet they’ve been through enough hardships and pain to form a bond that’s stronger than anything else. They’re four misfits who never had a place in society until Evelyn took them under her wing. The least they could do was bury her killer. It’s one of those stories where family comes in all shapes and sizes. Despite the gangsters, violence, and corrupt cops, Four Brothers is simply a movie about love and brotherhood. I’ll give Four Brothers a rating of 4.85 out of 5 stars.

---

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it with your friends. I write about music, Disney, movies, shows, and mental status. If that sounds like your cup of tea, please subscribe to my blog for more content like this! To help me keep this blog going, you can either make a donation or support me through Patreon. You can also follow me on social media through Facebook, Instagram, and X!

Comment below your thoughts on the movie, Four Brothers!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana