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'Four Brothers' drowns in cliches

No one captures the grit of the 'hood like director John Singleton, but in Four Brothers, his latest return to the urban landscape, he is hampered by the predictability of its revenge yarn.

Paramount Pictures 'Four Brothers' C+ The verdict: A Detroit revenge tale, sort of a Midwestern, with vigorous action sequences, but a too predictable scenario. Director: John Singleton Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson, Garrett Hedlund, Sofia Vergara Release date: August 12, 2005 Rating: R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "Four Brothers"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Four wayward toughs, adopted into the same home and bonded into siblings — two white, two black — return to their Detroit roots when their kindly, white-haired mother is gunned down during a convenience store hold-up.

The one-dimensional characters, troubled, angry Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), ladies' man Angel (Tyrese Gibson), father and would-be entrepreneur Jeremiah (Andre Benjamin) and rock 'n' roll runt of the litter Jack (Garrett Hedlund), reunite for their mom's funeral, then stick around to catch her killer.

Naturally, as these things go, they uncover corrupt cops, evil politicos and venal crime bosses amid a trail of bodies that should help the Motor City retain its murder record stats.

The screenplay by David Elliot and Paul Lovett goes to great lengths to emphasize the biracial makeup of this brotherly quartet, then oddly does little with that fact. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things) is a bad guy worth hating, but Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow) cannot get beyond the cliches of his policeman role.

The whole movie never escapes its genre roots, although Singleton retains his touch for inner-city action sequences.