“Four Brothers” appeals to that gut-level, instinctual need we all have to seek revenge when we’ve been wronged. The greater the wrong, the greater the desire to even the score. Since this film’s entire premise builds on the revenge theme, its merits should be measured on whether or not the audience gains some sense of justice when the dust has settled

            Do the final scenes offer a cathartic resolution, something satisfying beyond mindless entertainment? (Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes mindless entertainment is peachy, but that’s not how “Four Brothers” has been billed.) Although director John Singleton has several hits to his credit, screenwriters David Elliot and Paul Lovett do not. Even with solid acting, interesting camera work, and intense action, “Four Brothers” lacks emotional intensity. I’m blaming it on Elliot and Lovett, whose inability to add the expressive glue causes an otherwise tight urban drama to pull apart.

           Set in Detroit, “Four Brothers” is the story of four foster brothers – two white, two black– who were raised by the good-hearted Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan). Evelyn’s ability to place foster children was surpassed only by her unconditional love for them. When she couldn’t find homes for Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), Angel (Tyrese Gibson), Jeremiah (Andre Benjamin), and Jack (Garrett Hudlund), she adopted them all herself. All four brothers share the name “Mercer.”

           Although they’ve gone their separate ways, Evelyn’s murder brings them home to Detroit. What looks like a random shooting in a convenience store robbery, turns out to be something even more malevolent. After viewing the tape of her death, the brothers find convincing evidence that Evelyn was executed.

           As the oldest, Bobby leads the way to unravel the mystery regarding why someone would pay to have their sweet, grey-haired mother killed. Marching to the beat of their own code of justice, the brothers refuse proper legal channels. Instead they crash a few cars and perform a few executions of their own. Essentially, they declare war on the Detroit sub-culture that makes the pay-for-hire killer business as available as any other service industry.

            Tangling with the kingpin Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor) requires ingenuity, as well as stamina. In the final tally, what matters most isn’t necessarily who has the bigger gun. Bobby, Angel, Jeremiah, and even mild-mannered Jack have the brains. They outsmart the killers, as well as the police.

            The four actors who play the brothers have great chemistry and timing, a situation that makes the weak script and final scenes even more disappointing. The resolution comes after a huge battle scene and more flying bullets than you can count. As with life, lines sometime blur between good and evil. The four brothers have tracked down their mother’s killers and played havoc on the system that allowed it, but in the process, they’ve paid a very heavy price. The ending of the film minimizes that price and fails to elaborate on its toll. We never have cause to empathize.

            In a world of high crime and urban warfare, revenge is never really sweet. 

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