Mark Wahlberg's Greatest Crime Thriller Turns Revenge Into a Family Affair

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Mark Wahlberg as Bobby in 'Four Brothers.'

Published Feb 26, 2026, 3:30 PM EST

André Joseph is a movie features writer at Collider. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor's Degree in Film. He freelances as an independent filmmaker, teacher, and blogger of all things pop culture. His interests include Marvel, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Robocop, wrestling, and many other movies and TV shows.

His accomplishments as a filmmaker include directing the indie movie Vendetta Games now playing on Tubi, the G.I. Joe fan film "The Rise of Cobra" on YouTube, and receiving numerous accolades for his dramatic short film Dismissal Time. More information can be found about André on his official website.

Mark Wahlberg has established himself as a reliable leading man in the 30 years since his breakout performance as a psychotic boyfriend in Fear. Though the star has earned industry respect for indie dramas like Boogie Nights and quirky comedies such as I Heart Huckabees, the former rapper known as “Marky Mark” has often thrived playing rough-edged young men raised on the streets. The Departed brought his no-nonsense Boston attitude to a foul-mouthed state trooper, while The Fighter showcased his ability to carry emotional baggage amid brutal battles in the ring. Of all the street-level crime thrillers mixing Wahlberg’s grit and heart, however, Four Brothers stands out.

The 2005 crime thriller marked a return to form for legendary director John Singleton and became one of Singleton’s last successful studio films before his untimely passing. The Boyz n the Hood filmmaker assembled an appealing, diverse cast led by Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund as adopted siblings seeking the truth behind their foster mother’s murder. Despite its mixed reception, including a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have grown to appreciate Four Brothers over the years for its unrestrained, youthful spin on the vigilante formula. Now available to stream free on Pluto TV, movie fans can revisit a film that offers the closest Wahlberg has come to reconnecting with the raw, hip-hop-inflected persona that first defined his pop-culture rise in the 1990s.

What Is 'Four Brothers' About?

Set in Detroit during a brutal winter, Four Brothers kicks off with a fatal robbery at a convenience store that results in the death of beloved foster mother Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan). Her sons — including always-angry hockey player Bobby (Wahlberg), retired U.S. Marine Angel (Gibson), union worker and family man Jeremiah (Benjamin), and aspiring musician Jack (Hedlund) — reunite for the funeral while rekindling their brotherly bond. Though investigating officer Lieutenant Green (Terrence Howard) initially concludes that Evelyn’s death was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the Mercer brothers pursue answers in their own way.

It soon becomes clear that Evelyn’s murder was no random crime but a contract hit. Bobby and Angel track down the gunmen and execute them when they refuse to talk. Their actions draw attention not only from Green but also from vicious Detroit gangster Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor). As new information surfaces, suspicions grow among the brothers, fracturing their relationships just as they uncover a deeper conspiracy linking Sweet’s organization to corruption within the Detroit police force.

Mark Wahlberg Projects His Old Hip-Hop Persona in ‘Four Brothers'

Wahlberg stands out as the film’s central force. His hot-tempered volatility drives the picture as he and his brothers barge through rundown apartments and nightclubs and even engage in a slippery, high-stakes car chase along icy streets. Yet Wahlberg balances Bobby’s relentlessness with the story’s emotional core. On the surface, Bobby appears to be nothing more than a street thug. But in quieter moments — particularly during the brothers’ first dinner together, where each envisions Evelyn’s unconditional love — his vulnerability surfaces. These scenes reveal Bobby’s instability as he grapples with losing the one guiding force in his life. In her absence, he reluctantly steps into the role of household patriarch — fueled as much by grief as by vengeance.

What makes Bobby Mercer one of Wahlberg’s most compelling crime-thriller roles is how seamlessly it merges his screen persona with the film’s thematic backbone. Bobby feels like a natural extension of the rebellious energy Wahlberg once projected as “Marky Mark,” now channeled into a character defined by rage against injustice. There’s a rhythm to his profanity-laced dialogue — a musicality in the insults and threats — that recalls his early days in MTV videos and tabloid headlines. Rather than distancing himself from that past, Wahlberg taps into it, lending Bobby an authenticity that elevates the material.

Will There Be a ‘Four Brothers’ Sequel?

In the nearly two decades since Four Brothers hit theaters, sequel talks have periodically surfaced, with plans to revisit the Mercer brothers as they face new challenges. Paramount announced in 2010 that original screenwriters David Elliot and Paul Lovett would return, with Wahlberg set to reprise his role. Outside a 2017 Instagram post by Tyrese Gibson teasing progress, however, the project has seen little movement.

Singleton’s death in 2019, combined with leadership changes at Paramount, has likely prevented the Mercers from returning to the screen. While a sequel could have expanded the brothers’ saga, recapturing the emotionally charged tone of the original would be no small feat.

For Wahlberg, Four Brothers captures a moment when his tough-guy image, acting maturity, and cultural history converged into one combustible performance. As Bobby Mercer, he embodies a man shaped by loss, loyalty, and the need to fight for something larger than himself — making Four Brothers not just another entry in his filmography, but his greatest crime thriller.

Four Brothers is streaming on Pluto TV in the US.