With Tobey McGuire and Jake Gyllenhaal, I was interested in seeing Brothers from the moment I saw the preview. Gyllenhaal plays the bad boy brother, Tommy Cahill, and in the beginning of the movie, McGuire, Sam Cahill, is picking him up from prison.
Sam is a captain in the Marines, and the brothers are obviously like night and day – while Sam is everything his father has ever hoped for, Tommy is nothing but a disappointment and is constantly reminded of that fact.
Sam is shipped off to Afghanistan, leaving his wife (Natalie Portman) and two young daughters behind. When his helicopter is shot down, he’s presumed dead, and the grieving family mourns their soldier. Here’s where the movie gets a little ‘iffy.’
Tommy Cahill, who is normally drunk most of the time, is suddenly sobered up by his brother’s death and steps in to help Grace (Portman) with her daughters. I don’t think Jake plays his part convincingly enough…although there’s a scene where the adorable oldest daughter and Tommy have a heart-to-heart about being different that is absolutely heart-wrenching.
As the mourning continues and Tommy tries his best to take care of Grace and the girls, there is some romantic tension felt between the two, who share a late night kiss before coming to their senses. Captain Sam Cahill is actually not dead, but has been captured and submitted to unspeakable torture by Afghan soldiers. He’s forced to do some terrible things to stay alive – including a bone-chilling murder he doesn’t want to commit.
When he comes home, things are certainly very different. He’s traumatized, obviously, and his family doesn’t understand him – especially his oldest daughter. In a fit of anger during a family dinner, the daughter reveals that her mother Grace and uncle Tommy have been ‘having relations’ while he was gone. Already paranoid about the relationship between his brother and wife, Sam snaps.
Must See Scene:
Tobey McGuire has never put fear into me the way he did in the ‘kitchen scene.’ He clearly has lost it, and he’s breaking down on the inside. He did a fabulous job with this scene. However, one of the most heart-breaking parts of the movie was at the end, when the police arrive. Earlier in the story, Tommy tells his niece about almost drowning and being saved by Sam when they were kids. At his final breaking point, as the police are coming forward to tackle him to the ground, Sam looks to Tommy and says, “I’m drowning, Tommy.”
Wonderful movie and I think it’s fabulous to highlight what some of our soldiers go through when they come home from war. I don’t think the movie can give us a full understanding, but to bring awareness to it is extremely important. I’d give this movie an 8 out of a possible 10 and would definitely recommend it.
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