The Brotherhood (1968)

Absolutely the worst movie.

A Brilliant Conflict

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This is a Mafia drama about, among other things, conflict between some heads of the organization wanting to behave on the surface like a respectable modern business, as opposed to another who is ready to resort on occasion to "the old ways" of brutality and violence with opponents.This film died a quick death at the 1968 box office, becoming enough of a concern that some Paramount executives were worried about spending the big bucks on a film adaption of Puzo's The Godfather a few years later. The Francis Ford Coppola film, of course, was a huge hit which has gone on to become a film legend, while The Brotherhood is pretty much forgotten today.But this earlier Martin Ritt directed Mafia exploration, while lacking the drama and epic quality of the Coppola film, still has some things to recommend it. Kirk Douglas is solid as one of the heads of a Mafia syndicate in conflict with other heads of that organization as to how to deal with "finks," as Douglas calls them. The other heads want to stay out of the headlines as much as possible. They also want to expand the business in ways that the more cautious Douglas doesn't like.The Brotherhood precedes The Godfather by having a big marriage sequence in which all members of the family and old members of the Mafia gather for a festive occasion. Douglas plays the gracious host, and is full of ebullience and charm. At one point, though, he takes a few seconds to talk to two torpedoes who have just returned from having Douglas that is the highlight of the production. For reasons of plot giveaways I can't reveal the contents of this tense sequence. Suffice it to say, if the film had had one or two other scenes as potent as this one The Brotherhood might be better remembered today.A minor crime drama, in the final analysis, one distinguished by some good performances, and that gripping scene between Douglas and Adler. made a hit for him. Reassured from them that all went well, Douglas is immediately back to the smiles and charm as party host.Cast in the role of Douglas's younger brother who wants into the organization is Alex Cord. I'm tempted to call him Alex Cord of Wood because that would best sum up his performance. If ever there was a contrast in what is and is not charismatic on screen it would be a comparison between Cord and Douglas.Irene Papas, playing Douglas's wife, is largely wasted in the film, I'm sorry to say. However, playing an old time Mafioso big boss that Douglas respects is Hollywood veteran Eduardo Ciannelli, and Ciannelli is terrific in his part, with one scene that is quite riveting. It's nice to see the character actor with an opportunity to still strut his stuff in a role that was ideal casting for him (you might regard it as the character that he had played in 1937's Marked Woman thirty years before).Also impressive in this drama is Luther Adler as one of the heads of the Mafia. Luther will play a very strong scene in this film with Douglas that is the highlight of the production. For reasons of plot giveaways I can't reveal the contents of this tense sequence. Suffice it to say, if the film had had one or two other scenes as potent as this one The Brotherhood might be better remembered today.In the final analysis, this is a minor crime drama, one distinguished by some good performances, and that gripping scene between Douglas and Adler.

Apparently, when "The Brotherhood" debuted, critics disliked it and the film lost money as the public never embraced it. Now, more than 40 years later, the film has a completely mediocre IMDb score of 6.1. And, I am left to wonder why the film is so maligned. After all, I really liked the film and thought it was exceptionally well made and quite compelling. It's like I saw an entirely different film than the one everyone else saw...or I just have absolutely no taste."The Brotherhood" is a mobster film that is actually highly reminiscent of "The Godfather". Like Don Corleone from "The Godfather", Frank Ginetta (Kirk Douglas) is a bit of a dinosaur in the mob. While respected and powerful, he doesn't like the direction the organization is going and fights change--choosing instead to hold on to the old ways. The problem is that the longer he does this, the more he makes himself an impediment--one that might just be eliminated.At the same time, Frank's brother, Vince (Alex Cord) joins the family business and does well. In fact, when Frank gets on the bad side of the other bosses, there is talk that Vince should perhaps take his older brother's place.Into the mix comes another reason for the mob to take out Frank. It seems that one of the bosses (Luther Adler) had been responsible for the death of many mobsters many years ago--and Frank just discovered this. To make matters worse, this traitor also was responsible for the death of Frank and Vince's father! What happens next? See the film for its gritty finale.All around, it's a very good film. Kirk Douglas was surprisingly convincing as a Sicilian-American. I have no idea how good his Sicilian and Italian was throughout the film but it sounded good. I'd love to hear what some Italians think of his portrayal. Otherwise, the script is tight and well written, the film is well directed. The only possible negative I saw was if you an Alex Cord fan--he really didn't have a lot to say or do--it was clearly Douglas' film.If you do watch the film, one bit of warning. While you'd expect a mob film to be violent, you might think since it came out in the 60s that it would be very sanitized. Well, there are some gritty scenes--especially when Douglas murders someone--it's VERY vivid and tough to watch.

I found it fascinating that ethnicity was seen here as an obstacle to progress. Four years later, after ROOTS and GODFATHER, the tone had changed drastically. Seeing this in 2002, I was struck by how carefully the feeling of an ethnic enclave was portrayed. The story goes over many of the themes that are now cliches, but were not at all in 1968.

When this movie first came out it was unfairly shunned by critics and the movie industry. But now 31 years later The Brotherhood can now fully be enjoyed by fans as an excellent precursor to the Godfather. Kirk Douglas heads an all-star cast in this excellently written, excellently acted,and most of all excellently made picture.