The Yards is a 2000 American crime film with Mark Wahlberg, James Caan, Joaquin Phoenix, and Charlize Theron, written and directed by James Gray. It was released in the fall of 2000, although it was shot in the spring and summer of 1998 and first due for release in fall 1999, this due to studio delays. The setting and plot is in the commuter rail yards in New York City, in the boroughs of the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. Corporate and political corruption is commonplace in "the yards", where contractors repair railway cars for the city Transit Authority . Companies wanting to win the bid... sabotage rival companies' work to do so. Murder and bribes toward officials are common. The film opens as Leo Handler rides the subway to a his mother's house in Queens, where she has thrown a surprise party in honor of his parole. His cousin Erica is at the party with her boyfriend Willie Gutierrez . Willie takes Leo aside and thanks him for serving time, implying that Leo had taken a fall for their gang of friends. Leo is eager to find a job to support his mother , who has a heart condition.
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| Release date: | April 27, 2000 |
| Directed by: | James Gray |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 115 Minutes |
| Producer: | Nick Wechsler, Paul Webster, Kerry Orent |
| Editor: | Jeffrey Ford |
| Music by: | Howard Shore |
| Cinematography: | Harris Savides |
| Screenplay by: | James Gray, Matt Reeves |
| Estimated budget: | $24,000,000 |
| Genre: | Thriller |