Check out our interview with THE BROTHERS BLOOM Writer/Director Rian Johnson!

Rating 8/10

THE BROTHERS BLOOM tells the tale of two siblings/conmen (Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) with their eyes on the prize for one last time before they give up the game forever. The mark? An eccentric, reclusive, hobby-collecting millionaire (Rachel Weisz) looking for a little love and a lot of adventure. But as most stories of con artists go, things are not always as they seem and they do not always go according to plan.

The film comes from writer/director Rian Johnson whose first effort, the unconventional film noir BRICK, gained rave reviews and a bit of a cult following along the way. When a director’s first film receives as strong a response as BRICK did, it is often followed by an underwhelming, less ambitious effort. Such is not the case with THE BROTHERS BLOOM. Johnson instead takes his penchant for retro genre and style to the next level, complete with explosions, shootouts and exotic locales. But these are not executed in the same way we have come to know and expect from bigger budget Hollywood films. Instead, the film harkens back to the action and adventure of 60’s and 70’s caper films like THE STING, the style and charm of Fellini’s 8 1/2 and the humor and wit of the original LADYKILLERS. The film whispers, not screams, cool in everything from the cinematography, to the score, the production design, the costume design and everything in between. Johnson manages to prove the theory of the sophomore slump wrong by sustaining the originality that audiences saw in BRICK while upping the ante with the scale and scope of his film.

The writing is top-notch as well. Amidst a classic and timeless caper story, rich with characters like eye-patched villains and sketchy accomplices, Johnson creates a truly interesting conflict between the brothers. Bloom (Brody) constantly wants out while his brother constantly reels him back in. He becomes disconnected from his world, not quite sure where he stands as a real person in the many false lives he and his brother have created. Furthermore, Bloom’s con on the heiress starts to blur the lines between lust after money and longing for love. Johnson always treats these relationships in a emotional and believable way, while framing it amongst a plot that the audience themselves can never quite figure out to be real or not. It is Johnson’s very clever and very well-done con as a writer on his audience, reminding us of our own disconnectedness.

The relationship between the Blooms is well-defined in Johnson’s writing, but it is truly brought to life by Brody and Ruffalo. The two play siblings with the utmost dramatic and comedic believability that comes through their love/hate on-again/off-again relationship. Ruffalo, the straight man, gives a rationalization and sympathy to Stephen, the manipulative but protective older Bloom. Brody, the emotional one, gives a kind-hearted yet tormented nature to his younger Bloom. And when both are interacting on screen together, they prove to create an energy and chemistry that is both emotional and enjoyable.

Weisz is fantastic as the millionaire heiress Penelope, showing the audience her light-hearted side as an actress (as well as her backside). She is hilarious, beautiful, innocent, vulnerable and just plain awkward at times, proving to create a heroine unlike most seen in film today. The relationship between Penelope and Bloom creates some of the film’s best moments, reminding us all of that awkward first love we had during adolescence. The real scene stealer of the film, however, is the one person who doesn’t say a thing. As the Bloom’s mute sidekick and demolitions expert Bang Bang, Rinko Kikuchi (BABEL) brings a subtle hilarity with just some sleight of hand or a facial expression. She walks softly but carries a big boom-stick. She’s Marcel Marceau, femme fetal and MacGyver all rolled into one badass.

If films in the vein of Wes Anderson or 60’s and 70’s capers are your bag, then BROTHERS BLOOM could be the big score you’ve been waiting for. Don’t get conned into seeing yet another superficial big budget action film that could let you down. Check out BROTHERS BLOOM and if you don’t like it, I will personally give you your money back…if you can guess which hand it’s in.

-James Wallace