When there is a fantastic foreign film, one that seemingly crosses oceans in a single bound, there is inevitably a Hollywood remake on the way. Some of these remakes are good. Such is the case when Martin Scorsese got his hands on the Asian film "Infernal Affairs" which went on to be adapted in to the Oscar winning "The Departed". So, sometimes there are good remakes, but more often than not the foreign remake leaves much to be desired. This can be witnessed in the recent trend for taking Japanese horror films and watering them down to only make thirteen year old girls scream. Now, in the case of "Brothers", which is a remake of a Danish film with the same title, I'd say it falls somewhere in between the good and the bad the foreign remake has to offer.
The film tells the tale of two brothers, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Sam (Tobey Maguire). Tommy, who is being released from jail when the movie opens, is practically a dead beat. Upon his release he has no ambition, no job, no money, and his father always unfairly compares him to his brother Sam. Sam on the other hand is quite successful. He has a beautiful wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), two adorable little girls, and the respect of not only his family, but his peers (he is a Captain in the Army). Where his brother Tommy becomes aggressive under pressure, Sam is cool and always in control. Initially the brothers get along great, as they support one another unconditionally. But things take a turn for the worse when Sam is sent to Iraq. While over in Iraq, Sam's Blackhawk is shot down and he is presumed dead, although he is actually still alive, but is captured by insurgents. Under the guise that Sam is dead, Tommy finds himself compelled to assist Sam's family through the grieving process and from this finds a sense of redemption as he grows closer and closer to his sister in law and nieces. Eventually though, Sam makes it back home from Iraq, and he is a changed and troubled man. A man mentally distraught and out of touch with reality. Soon the stability Sam once shared with his brother and family is rattled as he behaves in erratic and violent ways, as well as insinuating that Tommy and Grace have a sexual relationship.
From this comes two exploratory threads: the effects of war on a human being and how war affects the cohesiveness of a family. The former thread is common place in most war based films now, but in the case of "Brothers", it's executed quite well. When Sam is in Iraq as a P.O.W., director Jim Sheridan delivers an assortment of taut scenes that push the character of Sam to a new level as his days in captivity continue to build. Suddenly a man who is supposed to be calm and collective becomes full of rage as he is forced to act in heinous ways. These particular scenes of Sam in Iraq are essential for understanding his descent in the last half of the film as he tries to slide back into family life. But, for as a good as these scenes are, Sheridan doesn't seem to capture the same dramatic weight when the film focuses on the family life when Sam is absent. Certainly, Sheridan adequately captures the positive effect Tommy has on the family and Grace, as this is done in a hand full of scenes that build a terrific chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Portman, but never does he drum up honest grief from them. Never do I feel the character's sadness and loneliness, aside from a few side scenes that consist of Portman crying.The emotion isn't as palpable as it could be and seems to be glossed over. The same could be said for the whole brother dynamic between Gyllenhaal and Maguire. Their family life together seems rather formulaic, and in all honesty plays out much like day time soap opera. We really don't know why these two characters act the way they do around each other aside from the fact that they are brothers. An exploration, if not a subplot, would've made their relationship far more authentic than what it was and would've made their sacrifices for one another more understandable.
But, the film does gain some dramatic heftiness when Sam returns home and his paranoia begins to kick in. It's at this moment that Tobey Maguire really shines as he slowly unravels his character in grand fashion, which eventually leads to an intense breakdown. Through the acting of Maguire, Sheridan is able to find a gateway in to a soldier with PSTD, and through Maguire does the real family drama become far more pertinent and tangible. Don't get me wrong, Gyllenhaal and Portman do a fine job with their characters, but their game is elevated when Maguire pushes them to the limits. So, in my ways, the film works only when Sam's plight and Maguire's skills are on display. Without them, the film would be a horrible remake. With them, the film is straddling the line.
No comments:
Post a Comment