DVD Review: Brotherhood, The (C+)

The Brotherhood (1968)
Directed by Martin Ritt
Starring Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: C+

Review by Bobby Nashville

Before there was the Godfather, there was the Brotherhood. Starring Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord as brothers in the mob, this Martin Ritt vehicle has lots of the same themes as the Coppola classic. But of course, watching any film that is similar in theme to the Godfather only makes you notice what is missing, not what is up there on the screen.

Kirk Douglas plays Frank Ginetta, a don that remains loyal to the traditional Mafia values: loyalty, honor, and most of all, keeping the business simple. His brother (Cord) backs the new voices of the mob, those that push for expansion into untapped, semi-legit markets. The brothers love each other, but they find themselves pitting their futures against each other.

The script is quite good, and the story moves along at a nice clip. However the art direction is quite flat and the camerawork is average. Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord seem a strange pairing as brothers, and despite their best intentions, I never really could believe this odd casting choice.

For fans of the classic Godfather trilogy, the Brotherhood serves as a decent curiosity piece and is worth checking out.

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