Argo Online

By Zach Hurwitz

WARNING: If you have a weak stomach and cannot tolerate emotional and/or physical pain, please do not continue to read further. Otherwise, if you are a fan of suspenseful, on-the-edge-of-your-seat movies, then “Brothers” is a film you cannot miss.

Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers” is a phenomenal 2009 box office hit that was released on December 4, 2009, and is based off the Danish film “Brødre” (Brothers). It is a wonderful story of war, love and deceit. Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey McGuire) plays the father of two little girls, husband of Grace Cahill (Natalie Portman) and an active Marine. He is an ambitious man whose goal is to protect and provide for the country he loves and the family he cherishes. His brother, Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) acts as the foil of Sam Cahill. He is a slacker who has just recently been paroled and is resented by his father, Hank Cahill (Sam Shepard), an ex-Marine himself.

After Sam’s reported death, Tommy Cahill surprisingly stands in as the father figure for Sam’s two little girls. Although Tommy’s relationship with the girls and Grace had not been a strong one, they grow accustomed to him and begin to love him, and Sam Cahill’s life soon becomes a distant memory. Tommy, after being ostracized from the family, easily won over both the Cahill’s and my affection. Jack Gyllenhaal really dedicated himself to this role and his acting expertise was really impressive.

Captain Sam Cahill is deployed to Afghanistan sometime in the year 2007. He leaves his wife, his kids, and his brother, and expects to return the same man and to the same family, but he is terribly mistaken. While preparing to paratroop into Afghanistan, his plane is shot down. All lives aboard are reported lost, including Cahill. I thought that the scene was done very well, with its realistic explosions and genuine feel. It made me believe that Sam Cahill had in fact died, despite what I saw in the trailer. Once the news is delivered to Grace, the Cahill family changes forever. My heartstrings were tugged on and I became emotionally invested in the motion picture.

Sam, however, did not die in the plane accident; he was rescued two months later by the American army. Although he returned physically the same, he is swept up in a tornado of mental delirium.

Tobey McGuire has jumped out of the shell of “Spiderman” and landed on his feet as a true actor. McGuire truly convinced me that his character became mentally unstable during his time in Afghanistan. I believe that this is Tobey McGuire’s real breakout role, and that he will begin to receive the recognition that he deserves.

Multiple twists and plot changes later, the movie truly left me in deep thought. The greatest way to judge a movie, I think, is if it leaves you the next day still pondering about its events. I am sitting here writing this review about a week later, still replaying the brutal and emotional scenes in my head, and still contemplating the brilliant storyline and convincing acting.