Brothers

Brothers (2009)
Directed by Jim Sheridan
Length: 105 minutes
Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content




War, set in any time period, is always a tricky subject to tackle on the big screen; one could argue that the more modern wars (i.e. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan) are the most difficult to portray due to their "nontraditional" nature. Known more for the psychological trauma suffered by American troops, modern war films often deal with the side-effects of war on a soldier and less on the actual battles. Brothers continues with this trend, depicting the trouble troops can have in re-acclimating to life at home after war.

Toby Maguire (Spider-Man 3, The Details) plays Capt. Sam Cahill, an all-around good family man and soldier preparing to leave for Afghanistan, leaving behind his beautiful wife Grace, played by the always lovely Natalie Portman (Hesher, Thor), and his screw-up brother Tommy, played by Jake Gyllenhaal (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Nailed). When Sam's helicopter is shot down, he is presumed dead, forcing his family to move on with their lives. With the news of Sam's death, Tommy soon takes on the responsibility of helping Sam's family. However, Sam has actually been captured by an Afghani rebel force, who torture him in hopes of getting Sam to renounce the American freedom effort. When Sam is finally rescued and returned home, the struggles of a soldier returning from war becomes the focus of the film.

Initially, Brothers drew heavy Oscar buzz; considering its star cast and subject matter, it isn't hard to understand why. However, the movie falls a bit short of these expectations. While the three main actors all do a respectable job, the movie is essentially confined to one truly dramatic and powerful scene; unfortunately, it is at the end of the movie, leaving the film feeling a little dragged out and long. Of the three, Toby Maguire is certainly best as the tortured soldier haunted by the demons of war. While I would not say his performance is memorable or award-worthy, it certainly adds weight to the more emotionally charged moments.

Though the film deals with a disturbing topic, Brothers remains tasteful yet capable of conveying the gravity of Sam's captivity. Torture is never an enjoyable experience to watch in films, but the scenes in this particular case are a little flat. While they are disturbing, it certainly falls under the "tame" category; I can think of many more cringe-inducing/powerful scenes from films (such as Syriana) that do a better job of conveying the hopelessness and sense of peril of the victim.

Though initially heavily hyped, Brothers falls in that middle category that most movies so often do. It certainly isn't terrible, but I wouldn't call it a winner either. One movie with three truly talented performers is a rare find. You may not wind up putting it on your top movies list, but there are far worse things to spend your time on than Brothers. Ultimately, I recommend a rental if you are looking for a decent drama one evening.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote: eh...not really any "light" lines