Pride and Glory is a hard hitting, no nonsense cop thriller that feels as if it were plucked right out of the 70's. It is a familiar film brimming with familiar themes, but what it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in rich performances. In fact, this is probably 2008's strongest ensemble outside of The Dark Knight.

Pride and Glory is a saga centered around a family of New York City police officers. Things run amuck when a recently returned to the force cop (played by Edward Norton) suspects that his own brother's unit might have something to do with a bust gone bad.

Gavin O'Connor, who made the rousing underdog sports film Miracle as well as the wonderful character study Tumblweeds, has fashioned an edgy police drama about family, loyalty, betrayal and corruption.

Edward Norton gives a quietly effective performance as Ray Tierney, a cop who only wants to do the right thing in a profession where the rules are constantly being broken. Jon Voight turns in some of his best work in years as a stern father who believes family comes before all else. Colin Farrell is all swagger as the ferocious Jimmy Egan, and even though his Irish accent floats in and out throughout, he's still a hell of a lot of fun to watch in this picture. Of the entire cast, it is Noah Emmerich who give's the strongest performance. As a stand up cop in over his head, Emmerich manages to display equal measures vulnerability and toughness. With outstanding work in films like The Truman Show and Little Children, Emmerich is really coming into his own as an actor.

As previously mentioned, Pride and Glory feels as if it might have been made in the 70's. It also has a tone akin to Gone Baby Gone, The Departed, Dark Blue, and Copland. It even has quite a bit in common with FX's The Shield, albeit it's not quite as complex. This is a gritty film–there's a scene involving an iron that I wont soon forget–laced with harsh but fitting language. Not at all surprising given that the screenplay was written by Narc scribe Joe Carnahan.

What really gives this film an emotional wallop is it's attention to character detail. Each character in Pride and Glory has something to lose, particularly Emmerich's Francis Tierney, a man who not only stands to lose credibility and respect, but also his sickly wife (played brilliantly by an effective Jennifer Ehle). Even one of the film's key crooked characters manages to display a healthy dose of humanity. He hasn't completely gone over to the dark side, and this is what sets the flawed men in this film apart from Denzel Washington's vicious cop in Training Day (a film I really enjoyed despite it's over the top nature).

Pride and Glory took a good thirty minutes to really get going, but once it did, I was completely sucked in. This is a testament to the stellar performances and Gavin O'Connor's strong direction. Even a somewhat unexpected brawl scene in the final act of the movie manages to work. It's silly and not entirely realistic, but it lends a certain Irish charm to the proceedings. Pride and Glory is solid entertainment, With much to recommend it.