Brothers by Blood, formally titled The Sound of Philadelphia; becomes available on January 22nd. The crime drama stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Joel Kinnaman, and Maika Monroe. Brothers by Blood shares a connection with many crime dramas that take place in Philadelphia. There’s a conflict between the Irish and the Italian mobs and as usual, it gets bloody.
The Plot of the Movie
Brothers by Blood’s “unique” aspect is Joel Kinnaman’s character. Now, I’m not just saying this because I’m a fan of Kinnaman. The whole plot of the movie isn’t really the conflict between the Irish and the Italians in Philadelphia. It’s about how utterly unhinged he plays this character as. Michael Flood (Kinnaman) is a madman and his behavior has been the source of discomfort in many scenes throughout the movie. It’s also what causes Schoenaerts’ Peter (who is Michael’s cousin) to re-examine his life in Philadelphia. Whether or not this mobster lifestyle is for him. And more importantly, if he can continue standing by Michael as Michael’s behavior worsens.
The Script Wasn’t That Strong
Realistically, Brothers by Blood doesn’t have the strongest script. Much of it is generic for gangster films involving a city widely known for its conflicts amongst its mobs. You could have said this movie was any stereotypical mobster movie and it didn’t really matter what was actually happening. The movie felt like many different scenes instead of stringing together an actual movie.
The Actors Did a Good Job
What did stand out in this film were the actors. As I’ve mentioned, Kinnaman did well in portraying a guy you would never want to be in the same room as. Schoenaerts does play Peter quite wooden, but I feel that with a better script he could have stretched his legs a little more. And while Monroe wasn’t given much to work on as Grace, I am a fan of Monroe’s and was just happy to see her in something.
Rating: 3/5
Ultimately, I wish Brothers by Blood was better because it had the potential to be. But, I still would recommend you give the movie a chance when it hits theaters and VOD on January 22nd.
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