Going to see the movie Brothers on Friday night was admittedly a bit of a compromise between my choice of Everything's Fine and Steve's Invictus. (No, I don't actually expect Everything's Fine to blow me away - I just find DeNiro generally charming in heartwarming comedies! So shoot me!!)
Anyway, I'm sure glad we made the compromise because Brothers is actually really good. It tells of a marine named Sam, (Toby Maguire) who is taken prisoner by the Taliban while stationed in Afghanistan. While there he is tortured, and forced to do the unthinkable - kill one of his own men. As a result, Sam becomes deeply scarred and mentally unstable. Meanwhile back at home, Sam's family is told he has been killed. His black sheep brother, Tommy, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, has recently been released from prison. He redeems himself by stepping in to help out Sam's wife, Grace, (Natalie Portman) and her two young daughters. Just when things are beginning to regain some degree of normalcy, the family is notified that Sam has in fact survived. Heartbreaking awkwardness ensues when Sam returns home a changed man, resulting in a powerful, effective climax that stops just short of becoming melodramatic.
It could be argued that this film takes itself a little too seriously in parts, but personally I think the subject matter warrants it. I've always said I'd rather beg for money on the street for a living than join the military, and this movie epitomizes why. It might be politically incorrect to say that, but it's the truth. In this time of war for our country and theirs, we hear ever so much about how important it is to "support our troops," etc. For many, "supporting the troops" seems to be synonymous with "supporting the war." In my mind, Brothers does an excellent job of separating the troops from the war, and portraying the downright scary philosophy behind the Marine Corps (trained killing machines - !?) Spine-chilling, if you ask me.
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