The Yards is a 2000 American crime film directed by James Gray, written by Gray and Matt Reeves, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron and James Caan. Set in the commuter rail yards in New York City ("the yards"), specifically in the boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, where contractors repair railway cars for the city Transit Authority (TA), bribery, corporate crime and political corruption are commonplace, as rival companies sabotage each other's work to win bids, and the undercutting leads to murder.