Brothers (2007)

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

In search of Asian organized crime films to rival Johnie To's Election I & II (which have become my standard to which other such films are compared), with more drama, critical relationships, pointed words, clever actions, and tense standoffs instead of shooting, kicking, shouting, blood (why do these HK filmmakers love blood?), and car chases, I rented Brothers (which based on the translations used in the film, may or may not be the proper title), and wanted to like it. A few strong characters, scenes, and story with potential shadowed by poor edits, poor translation, weak characters, and lack of development. The search continues.

'Brothers' is a true to form HK gangster/triad film. I won't get into the plot since previous commenter here did a great job at that.One of the highlights for me was Andy Lau. He gave a great performance, believable in every sense, and has a great presence. Other highlights for me included a stylish chase scene through narrow streets & alleys involving a 3-wheeled motorbike and 2 cars, and the one of the final gun battles which was very well done.There was a lot of dialog in the movie, which I like, but I wished there had been a little more action. It was half drama/half action film, more heavily on the drama in my opinion.Not an incredible film but worthy of watching if you enjoy this genre.

The production values are respectably high for this rather ordinary and typical Hong Kong gangster flick. The requisite shoot-outs and car chases are interesting and hold ones attention, but unfortunately the story lacks that quality. I did like the fact that Thailand could so easily be integrated into the story. I look forward to seeing a HK gangster film with New York City as the venue.For the neophyte this could be a primer for HK movies. There is nary a cliché which is not explored. Filial bonds/obligations, brother love - responsibility to ones family and siblings, an incurable illness, betrayal, the irresistible charm of a "bad" boy, responsibility for ones actions, doing the "right" thing, sacrifice, "good" bad guys, "bad" good guys - it's incredible how they can cram all this stuff into one movie! (There's actually more - much more.) So, the over the top acting is the natural complement needed to put the story over.There's often actions taken (things happen) which keep the story going. Things which have little or no logic - yet, they happen. I often wonder why the writers are so concerned with continuity when the stories have so little logic that continuity really doesn't matter. (It's probably a Hong Kong thing.)As for the phony blood and such, the acting and dialog usually draws your attention and you don't notice it. (Sometimes the translations are as challenging as the plots.)Hong Kong gangster movies can be very interesting and educational, but you can pass on this one.

"Brothers" (Hing Dai) is your typical Hong Kong gangster movie, and it doesn't fail to deliver. At the beginning, a fortune teller tells the Tam family mob boss that his two sons will fight against each other in the future, so he sends one of them to the US to separate them. Inevitably, they end up getting together again and the story unfolds. While the story isn't exactly groundbreaking, the cast does a stellar job playing their roles. Lead actor Kiu Wai Miu is cold, resilient, and mysterious as the older brother who takes care of the family business, while Eason is the innocent "clean" younger brother. Eason does a decent job but his role doesn't really require anything out of the ordinary. Kiu Wai Miu pretty much holds the movie together with his unpredictability. You have no idea if he's good or bad, if he still has a hidden hint of decency, or just ruthless. Mainland actress Li Huang is the female lead, although her role is fairly small, I was a bit disappointed in her to be honest. She must have some connections within the entertainment circle because she gets an awful lot of roles, yet each time she's really nothing more than a (decently) pretty face. In most of her scenes, she gives me the impression of a deer caught in headlights. In Mainland China, she started out with smaller roles such as the helper or assistant of the female leads, and I think that's what she does best.The real show stealer here, is Andy Lau, also one of the producers of the movie. He plays an arrogant cop, blatantly over the top with his attitude, but there is only a very small handful of actors who can pull it off and look legit. Andy is definitely one of them. And my goodness, the guy is in fantastic shape! In his first scene, he makes instant impact with his coolness and suave exterior. I don't know if he got a facelift, some anti-aging treatment, or just a healthy diet, he is in great shape and looks much younger than before. He is so cocky, that even his coworkers are played (fooled) on a constant basis, yet he doesn't become annoying. Rather, I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions, and shaking my head at how arrogant this guy is. He certainly adds spice to the movie and keeps things interesting.Brothers, while not an incredible film, is still a decent rental at the least. The reason I give it 7 rather than 5 or 6, is because it's very well paced, and the solid acting from Kiu Wai Miu and pure entertainment from Andy Lau kept me on the edge of my seat at all times. There are very few dull moments, and the final scenes of the movie were tense enough as well. A good gangster flick to end the year on.