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Review

Four men joined as foster brothers in working class Detroit are reunited at the funeral of Evelyn, the woman who forged the familial bond among them. Her murder at first seems to be a standard grocery store robbery gone bad, as the four search for the gang members purportedly responsible for executing Evelyn as a witness to their crime. Bobby, Angel, Jeremiah and Jack were taken by Evelyn into her own home when the four proved too incorrigible to be placed in foster homes; yet, their accumulated street skill sets make them ideal investigators into the Byzantine conspiracy that unfolds before them. It becomes clear that Evelyn was not collateral damage but the intended target in an attempt to cover up a web of municipal graft and corruption, intricate land deals, dirty cops and bought city officials. Director Singleton uses fully the gritty charisma of the four leads to create a visceral, hyperkinetic action mystery, leading the viewer through a maze of deception and greed with his trademark vehement incisiveness. Strong performances and well-choreographed, non-stop action transcend the familiar material to create a satisfying, hard-edged puzzle.

 -- Ann Yarabinee