Review: The Brothers Bloom

The Brothers Bloom (2009)
starring: Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltraine, Maximilian Schell
dir. Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson gave us an impressive debut with his film noir/highschool mash up Brick (2005). That film's ability to play with genre, create it's own verbal shorthand and relate the archetypes of noir with the archetypes of teen drama melded so well, it was a revelation. Since it's debut, it has become a cult sensation and a staple for any film geek.

With his sophomore effort, Johnson is again tackling a well worn genre and giving it his own spin. The Brothers Bloom attempts to tackle the very tricky con man game. It is tricky because the filmmaker is not only trying to play the con within the film, but finds ways to keep an audience on its toes who know they themselves are being conned. His answer to this is quite interesting and simple. He never cons us. The film is very straightforward and the issues of the con volley between the two brothers played by Ruffalo and Brody.

After a strong beginning, the second act begins to wear thin with some pacing problems. There were more than a few times that I had to wonder how much longer this could drag on. The pacing is stifled even more by Brody who overplays every moment, demanding that we watch him and understand that he is an actor. This is a problem that has followed him since his Oscar win. He no longer inhabits characters, he portrays an actor acting.

Rachel Weisz is a blast to watch though. She brings an energy and bounce to the screen that makes even some of the slower parts easier to digest. Every moment she is on screen shines as she balances comedy and drama with the ease of a professional tightrope walker. Ruffalo delivers another strong performance, but doesn't have to stray too far from his wheelhouse. Rinko Kikuchi is adorable, but not given much to do and it's great to see Maximilian Schell on screen again even though it's only a few minutes.

The largest flaws of the film are neither in the direction or the acting as much as it is in the writing. Ideas and character traits are introduced that are dropped or forgotten completely and have nothing to do with the end result. They seem to be there for a quick quirky joke and nothing more. One could argue that it is part of the trick so we don't know which direction the con is going, but if so it's a cheat and if not it's just poor handling of character.

This is a movie with several moments that shine but in the end is a bit of a disappointment. There is no reason to write Johnson off yet, he still shows a lot of skill, but when it comes to handling the fine tuning and many spinning plates that are needed to make a great con movie, he falls a little short.

7 out of 10