Brothers (2009) directed by acclaimed Irishman Jim Sheridan, is a movie best described as a war drama/thriller with Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal in the leading roles.
It is based upon Susanne Bier’s Danish film Brødre (2004)… better yet… it’s more accurate to say it’s a remake other than saying it was largely inspired by the Danish version.
There’s no need for me to give an overall view of the plot, since the trailer is quite self explanatory, however, I will tell you this…
During most part of the movie, the action presents itself in a very solid, but somewhat, dull way… meaning that although you can’t really point your finger at horrific moments, the fact is that it’s far from making a strong impact! This is until Tobey Maguire decides to shake things up a bit and turn his acting levels up a few notches. He then turns his character into something completely different from what he introduced early on and just assumes command with his gripping performance. I mean, those last 20 to 25 minutes are super intense, with the former Spidey exceeding himself in great fashion, as I never watched him before! Portman and Gyllenhaal try to keep up, but their just not up for the task, mostly because the storyline provides better moments for the main character to shine… but even so! He’s just in the zone! For a few (long) moments, I tried looking for some part of Maguire in his eyes, but he just wasn’t there! Someone else took over and left Tobey “out there in the woods”.
No wonder he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sam Cahill.
In other words: He makes Brothers worth your while!
Oh and by the way… make sure to listen to Thomas Newman’s soundtrack and U2’s contribution as well.
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