Synopsis: Siblings Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are as far apart as brothers can be; while Sam serves his country as a Marine, Tommy is a drifter who just got out of prison. When Sam is shot down and presumed dead in Afghanistan, Tommy vows to take care of Sam’s wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and his children. Tommy and Grace become close, and when Sam unexpectedly returns home, the consequences of their actions threaten the foundation of the entire family.
Coming off of the popular and much-talked-about Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, Tobey Maquire joins Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman in this war-time thriller, Brothers. Directed by Jim Sheridan, 2009’s Brothers was written by Game of Thrones’ David Benioff. While Brothers probably isn’t as big as some of the actors’ other movies, it was certainly one of my favorite films back then and one I recommend people watch right now. Considering we all have nothing, but time, it’s the perfect time to watch Brothers.
Slight Spoilers
In Brothers, Maguire plays Captain Sam Cahill who gets deployed on his fourth tour overseas. Things get intense really fast when Sam is taken prisoner by terrorists. While Sam is fighting for his survival, his family and his wife Grace (Portman) are told that he is presumed dead. Gyllenhaal plays Sam’s brother Tommy, who is essentially the black sheep of the family due to having spent years in prison. As you can imagine, with one brother a U.S. Marine and one an ex-convict; there’s tensions within the family. Even Grace can’t say that she necessarily likes Tommy at the beginning of the movie. Regardless, Tommy decides to step up to take care of his sister-in-law and his two nieces in the wake of Sam’s “death”.
Brothers That Fight Together
There’s hurt emotions, sexual tension, and extreme showings of combat PTSD when it’s revealed Sam’s alive. Sam comes back home, attempting to resume his life, but how can you go back to the normal after that? On top of the fact that Sam is dealing with being back at home after months and months of being tortured, he suspects that something occurred between his wife and his brother. The movie turns into a heart-pounding thriller that keeps you on your toes until the end.
Rating: 4/5
Brothers was intense, solemn, and unpredictable. While you’re stuck at home, take a look at one of the early Maguire, Portman, and Gyllenhaal films that doesn’t get talked about enough.
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