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A French naval officer is called in to investigate a murder and finds that her estranged brother is implicated in the crime. After being removed from the investigation, she continues in order to exonerate her brother. This is a standard TV movie-like plot, but it is mildly entertaining. Actions of the characters are reasonably believable with just the right amount of drama and action with a little romance thrown in to sweeten the pot.

This is an extraordinary film of love and reckoning. It begins with the face of a woman seemingly devoid of emotion. She is seated in an airport and is soon met by a younger woman. From there, this film peels off layer and layer until a heartbreaking, yet uplifting, conclusion is realized.

Juliette Fontaine has been in prison for fifteen years. The younger woman who meets her at the airport is her sister, Léa who takes Juliette to stay with her family. Léa and Luc are successful professionals who share their home with two adopted daughters from Viet Nam and Luc's father who has suffered a stroke. Juliette enters this home but is seen a pretty much an outsider - even by her sister.

As the story continues, the viewer finds that, because of her crime, Juliette was rejected by her family, and Léa - who was a teenager at the time - was pretty much forced by her parents to also reject her sister. There has been no contact except for the past few months, and Juliette has begrudgingly accepted Léa's invitation to stay with her family basically out of necessity.

As Juliette goes about registering with the local police and looking for a job, the director and writer of this film unravels her story until all is disclosed. Along the way, the viewer is treated with numerous, captivating characters portrayed by consummate actors.

Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein are wonderful as Juliette and Léa. All of their scenes together are magic. Thomas is in almost every scene of the film and her interplay with all of the other actors is a treat.

I am often disappointed by French films because they draw me in with extremely interesting characters and situations and then disappoint by just ending with no reasonable conclusion. Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, however, carries through with a believable and heartfelt conclusion to reward by giving a magnificent overall experience. It is a super movie.

Dramas about the New York City police department are prolific with a fair share being about corruption in the force. This is one of the best. Add to this the element of a police family, and you have some engrossing entertainment.

The story starts with the death of four police officers during a drug bust. Ray Tierney was a rising star in the department, but for reasons to be disclosed in the course of the film has assumed a non-starter position in the missing person's squad. Ray is convinced by his father, Francis Tierney, Sr. - a high ranking member of the department - to take on the investigation of the murders of the officers. All of the officers involved - both living and dead - are members of the precinct headed by Ray's older brother, Francis, Jr. Ray's sister is married to Jimmy Eagan, one of the officers in Francis, Jr's command. The members of this police family lead the viewer through a labyrinth of murder and dishonesty.

One of the things I liked about this film is that the viewer knows who the good guys are and who the bad guys are almost from the very beginning. There are shades of gray along the way, but the two sides of the incidents basically remain the same. This is a break from this genre of film as most of their ilks keep the viewer guessing to the end. Instead, Pride and Glory holds your interest by investing you in the lives of the characters, be they good, bad, or gray. Adding a reasonable plot, tight directing, and superior acting, and you have a most enjoyable film.

Three powerful actors head an extremely competent cast. Jon Voight is right on as the patriarch who drinks too much but is loyal to his sons and son-in-law. Edward Norton is both tough and intuitive as the man put in the middle. Colin Farrell shines as the Jekyll/Hyde cop who is a loving family man but a brute on the street. Add to these powerhouses sensitive performances from actors such as Noah Emmerich as Francis, Jr. and John Ortiz as a cop in the precinct, and you get a movie that shines through the performances of its actors.

Pride and Glory is brutal, profane, and heartbreaking, but it is surely not a film to be missed.