The Brotherhood

Of all the actors who were hurt, angry, and resentful that they weren't cast as Don Corleone in The Godfather, I feel particularly sorry for Kirk Douglas. Unlike Anthony Quinn, Lee J. Cobb, and all the others, Kirk had acted in a precursor to The Godfather with an incredibly similar plot. It's a Sicilian family business with double-crosses, takeovers, and blood loyalty at the forefront. Violent, dramatic, and menacing, there's no reason why The Brotherhood was a bomb and The Godfather was a hit. Even more tragic, The Brotherhood was such a bomb, Hollywood said, "I guess mafia movies are out," and purposely didn't make another one for four years. It must have been a very eventful four years for audiences to suddenly change their minds.

Kirk Douglas is, obviously, the head of the family. His younger brother, Alex Cord, is just getting out of the service and returning to the family, but he doesn't fall in line with Kirk's plans. He does at first, but when he finds out through hearsay that Kirk was responsible for a family member's murder, his mindset changes. And if you're Sicilian, we all know you have a hard time with forgiveness.

In this movie, you'll see a big, Italian wedding. You'll see lots of family meetings discussing whose loyalties have shifted, who needs to be cut out, and who can get elevated in power. There's the classic "kiss of death" that everyone incorrectly thinks Al Pacino invented, two feuding brothers, and a powerful patriarch who does favors and expects more than just loyalty in return. Besides excessive blood, animal cruelty, and sex scenes, what did The Godfather have that this movie didn't have first?