The Yards 2000
The Yards, starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, and James Caan, is based on a true story. Directed by James Gray, the film is inspired by a real corruption scandal involving the director’s father in the mid-1980s. Leo (Mark Wahlberg) is a young man with a criminal record for stealing cars who is fresh out of prison. His plan for the future is to find a legal job and start a new life. He joins his friend Willie (Joaquin Phoenix) at his uncle’s company and starts working as a technician. Meanwhile, Willie has a relationship with Leo’s cousin Erica (Charlize Theron), which eventually leads to marriage. The family portrait ends with Erica’s mother, played by Faye Dunaway. However, Leo’s plans don’t go as expected. Suddenly, he becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. To prove his innocence, he starts living life on the run. With great visual direction and lighting, the film captures the paranoid atmosphere effectively.
