'Pride' on display at TIFF

Playing a New York City cop in Pride and Glory was a life changing experience for Noah Emmerich. It took him months to “wash away” the residual feelings and memories.

“It profoundly changed my opinion of the police. They live on the edge of darkness. While we cross the street to avoid that crazy person, they cross the street to confront them,” Emmerich told Cineplex.com at a press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival. “It is draining on the soul to be in that space all the time. For them, there is no cut or wrap. That is their daily life.”

Trying to replicate the mood and tone found in so many remarkably gritty thrillers in the seventies, Pride follows the frenzied lives of brothers Francis Jr. (Emmerich) and Ray (Edward Norton), their father Francis (Jon Voight) and brother-in-law Jimmy (Colin Farrell). All are New York City police officers. When several of their fellow comrades are murdered, the evidence seems to lead right back to their family. Things slowly spin out of control as everyone fights with the notion of which family comes first: the family back home or the family at the precinct.

Although he is the son of a police officer who took him to a screening of the French Connection when he was just seven and admits that the movie is a celebration of what it means to be a police officer, director Gavin O'Connor explained to Cineplex.com that he was always mindful to keep his feelings and opinions in check. Throughout the process, he and the actors would review the script again and again to make sure that they were being as objective as possible.

“We all challenged the script at my apartment. It became a community effort to dig for the truth,” he said.

“It is an American thing. We make heroes out of guys who put the badge on and are our insulation against the chaos,” added Norton.

Pride and Glory doesn’t provide answers to all of the complex issues it presents. Topics such as a sense of security versus personal freedoms are left for the viewer to ponder. Star Edward Norton supported the approach.

“The issues are part of a larger conversation and I like that,” said Norton. “I enjoy movies that leave you with questions at the end.”

Avoiding the polish and shine of a traditional Hollywood film, the filmmakers leaned on the raw and sober seventies for their inspiration. If a scene felt too “movie-ish”, it was cut or redone by O'Connor. To remain faithful to the tone was important to O’Connor even though the film took seven years to make and was in limbo for approximately a year. When New Line was folded into Warner Brothers, the film was put on hold and some thought it would never see the light of day despite all of the work that was put into it.

“It was a long journey. We all got in this thing and told a story together. It was a great lesson in patience,” said O’Connor crediting Warner Brothers with resurrecting the film and throwing their support behind it so it could be completed.

Pride and Glory screens one last time at the Toronto International Film Festival this Friday at Ryerson. The film will hit theatres on October 24th.