Brothers (1982) User Reviews

Although A Technically Proficient Production, Disregard Of Established Facts Available To The Film's Makers Results In A Loosely Assembled Amble.

[rsoonsa · 3/10 · 19 April 2010]

This erratically fashioned melodrama begins, with its very opening sequence, as an excessively fabricated version of the actual murder, 16 October, 1975, in (at the time, Portuguese) Timor, of five Australian television reporters, a deed committed by uniformed criminals from an Indonesian Army task force which guaranteed by this barbaric action that an invasion by Indonesia into Timor could not receive media coverage. These victims, customarily referred to as the Balibo Five, after the village wherein they were slain, are termed as the Timor Five for this film that adds as well a fictitious pair of brothers named Wild who, in dubious fashion, evaded being massacred with the others, subsequently somehow making their way back to the Antipodes, whereupon the ensuing behaviour of the brothers, four years after, is seen here. The older of the brothers, Adam Wild (Chard Hayward) makes an unforeseen appearance at Taihape, on New Zealand's North Island (where a good deal of the film was shot), therewith attempting to convince younger brother Kevin (Ivor Kants) toward reappearing with him to the employment field of broadcast journalism, obviously believing that his seniority gives him a vested advantage for sibling decision-making. However, a betrothed Kevin, wordsmith of the duo, Adam being a photographer, favours a less lively existence in Taihape over returning into the realm of manipulative media. The greatest portion of the film dodges about the Balibo Five tragedy, focussing instead upon Adam's amourous experiences, initially with Lani, a Taihape Maori harlot (Margaret Laurence {misspelled as "Lawrence" upon the VHS case), and later with Alison, a much more refined, but no less romantically inclined young woman (Jennifer Cluff). Since Adam's mere presence manifestly stokes libidinous fires within these two, the multi-drama's moments of paramount interest for many viewers will be generated by lustful actions of these three, because Kevin is shunted off-story as are the exterminated quintet of newsmen. Originally named HOUNDS OF WAR, the film is shot in the Philippines (performing as Timor), Sydney and other parts of New South Wales in Australia, as well as Taihape, but the locational shifts fails to add interest for a storyline that is deficient at giving dimension to its characters or in providing clear motivation for their actions. As result, the narrative miscarries, viewers not being given a solid impression of what eventually may occur to anyone within the plot. One notable aspect of the picture involves the sustaining of numerous beatings by Adam Wild, rivalling in number and savagery those given to numerous American private detectives in noirish works of the 1940s and 1950s. Treatment of relationships between Whites and Maoris in New Zealand is perfunctory and not developed at all, as might be expected from a film wherein a sense of reality has been removed, but not replaced with any significant activity. The players work hard at creating their roles, but lack adequate support from the direction, script and editing.

Not so bad it's good... just so bad it's boring

[Groverdox · 3/10 · 8 April 2016]

The problem with improving from film to film after making a ridiculously bad movie ("Lady Stay Dead") is that there's a long, long way to go before you make something worth watching. "Lady Stay Dead" (Terry Bourke's previous film) was actually bad enough to be funny and entertaining for purveyors of garbage. The next one, "Brothers", is an improvement, and what does that leave you with? A movie that still sucks, but is just merely boring. There's nothing enjoyably bad about this one. It is just merely "bad".

Chard Hayward, the guy who played the least intimidating bad guy I have ever seen in "Lady Stay Dead" is back, giving a somewhat serviceable performance. The plot is something to do with brothers, one reliable, the other unruly, who witness the murder of the Balibo Five - five Australian journalists killed during the invasion of Timor by Indonesia.

The unruly brother finds the other one in New Zealand where a bunch of stuff happens. Or maybe it doesn't. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of this.

It does have one laughable moment, hearkening back to the bad old days of the previous movie which was filled with them: an angry mob surrounds the unruly brother with obvious malicious intent. A Maori policeman pulls up in his police car ready to get out and lend assistance. He tries to open the door of his car, but one of the mob holds it shut, telling him everything will be okay. Satisfied with this, he drives off, leaving the angry mob to it.

Astonishing police incompetence and ineffectiveness was a hallmark of Bourke's later career, it seems.

A good drama of brotherly love and mental scarring

[PeterMitchell-506-564364 · 8/10 · 3 February 2013]

I was about half way through, when I first saw this movie back in 87, one real late night, around 2 a.m. I arrived just after Adam (Chard Hayward) said "Simmer down" to his brother, Kevin (Ivar Kants) while on a hunt, where he, Adam, let get some animal, a boar I think, go free, where he then aimed his sights on his brother. These two brothers, Adam, a photographer, Kevin, a journalist survived a close call, when they survived that real life Timor shooting of those five journo's back in 75. These two fictional characters have just been based around that tragic event, where the heart of the movie deals with the after effects of these inseparable two. Kevin, now residing in New Zealand, with his fiancée, has settled down, giving away the writing. Adam pops back in his life, where they have a phony fight outside a church, throwing concerns on the other church goers, where at first you think this fight is real. The intensity of the start where the five sorry journo's were gunned down was impactful, if unbearably tense. Other moments of this film are jolting too. Adam tries to lure Kevin away from his safe happy life, and of course creates conflict with his girl. Adam still has nightmares too over that fateful night, years earlier. Hayward as Adam, was very good here. I could truly see parts of his self still wounded, mentally, where Kevin was keeping it more under wraps, but he had his moments, like when he got over angry at Adam, for letting that boar go. Hayward develops a relationship with the town strumpet, a flirtatious young girl with a rep. The tragedies and their consequences that are sparked from this, carry the rest of the movie. Brothers is good strong drama, carefully, thoughtfully, plotted and written, with solid performances. Hayward is one of my favorite Aussie actors and he came off really good here. In short, Brothers is about two guys dealing with pain, still evident, their own way, a pain that may never be forgotten, in a film, you won't soon forget.