But what makes Singleton's revenge drama — a remake of "The Sons of Katie Elder" with John Wayne — stand out are the little moments aside from the action set pieces.

Take the quiet but powerful scene in which the four mourning adopted sons of Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan) gather around a Thanksgiving table and stew about her murder in a Detroit convenience store.

Singleton and screenwriters David Elliot and Paul Lovett create a surprisingly emotional scene as the four men as they mourn. Rarely — especially in action movies — do we ever get to see the emotional wreckage violent crime creates. Before the dinner is over, the men decide to exact revenge for the killing.

The Mercer brothers, led by hotheaded Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), then plow through Detroit's criminal underworld in an almost haphazard fashion in their search for answers, eventually getting in over their heads when they stumble upon government and police corruption.

Wahlberg gives one of his most engaging performances as Bobby, a tough guy whose philosophy in life seems to be shoot first and ask questions later.

Good too are Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund as the rest of the Mercer family. They create a convincing bond, making us care about what happens to the family.

The boys eventually run afoul of crime boss Victor Sweet. He's played with sadistic glee by Chiwetel Ejiofor, best known for his terrific performance as a gentle hotel worker in "Dirty Pretty Things."

We're introduced to Sweet in memorable fashion when he forces one of his henchmen and his wife to eat dinner off the floor for disobeying an order.

And Terrence Howard, who's having a great summer with superb work in "Crash" and "Hustle & Flow," makes the part of a sympathetic homicide detective stand out, even though it's a small role.

Unfortunately, as the movie reaches its climax Singleton loses some of his grip on the material with a series of contrived plot twists that strain credibility.

But because Singleton and his cast have generated so much good will, you can overlook the film's flaws and just sit back and enjoy this tough, no-nonsense crime film.