The Brotherhood

Directed by Martin Ritt, The Brotherhood follows an aging mobster (Kirk Douglas’ Frank Ginetta) as he’s slowly estranged from an ambitious younger brother (Alex Cord’s Vince) with designs on shaking up their felonious organization’s business practices. Filmmaker Ritt, working from Lewis John Carlino’s screenplay, delivers a deliberate and predominantly low-key drama that is, for the most part, devoid of compelling, ingratiating elements, which is disappointing, certainly, given that the picture boasts an opening stretch that fares much better than one might’ve initially anticipated – with the promising atmosphere perpetuated by Douglas’ entertainingly over-the-top turn as the larger-than-life central protagonist. (Cord’s comparatively subdued performance provides a solid counterbalance to Douglas’ gleeful histrionics.) It’s clear, then, that The Brotherhood loses its increasingly tenuous grip on the viewer’s attention with an underwhelming, uninvolving midsection, as the emphasis is placed mostly on the characters’ dull and far-from-engrossing discussions about their business and relationships with fellow gangsters. And although there are a few compelling interludes here and there, The Brotherhood‘s static atmosphere diminishes the impact of its striking, tense final 15 minutes and cements its place as an overly lackadaisical endeavor that ultimately contains little of interest.

** out of ****