The Yards

The Yards is a crime drama film directed by James Gray, set in the gritty world of New York City's rail yard contractors. After serving time in prison, Leo Handler (Mark Wahlberg) returns home to Queens, where his mother, Val, is struggling with a heart condition. Leo's cousin, Willie Gutierrez, introduces him to Frank Olchin, a powerful contractor who offers Leo a job. Leo soon discovers that Frank's company is involved in corrupt practices, including bribery and sabotage. When a police officer is injured during one of their illegal operations, Leo is forced to go on the run. He turns to Gallardo, a rival contractor, for protection and learns that Willie had actually killed the yard master. Leo's life becomes even more complicated when Erica Soltz, his childhood friend and Willie's girlfriend, is killed in an accident. Frank and Gallardo negotiate a new contract split, while Willie surrenders to the police. At Erica's funeral, Frank offers Leo help in the future, but Leo rejects his advances and joins Kitty, Erica's mother, in mourning her loss. The film explores themes of loyalty and betrayal, as Leo becomes embroiled in his family's criminal activities and must make difficult choices to survive. The all-star cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, James Caan & more!

You can stream The Yards on: Paramount+ Apple TV Amazon Store

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as The Yards include Memories of Murder, Insomnia, The Usual Suspects, Fargo, Seven, A Time to Kill.

The Yards was released in theaters on October 20, 2000.