BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

bayardhiler Strong words, I know, but they're true; "Brotherhood" is the one most brilliant, well-written, intelligent shows you will ever see in your entire life. Sadly, it is also one of the most underrated shows you will ever see, so much so you'll spend hours pondering why. It's a show that SHOULD have been as big as "The Sopranos", as talked about and raved as much as "Breaking Bad" was, and followed as closely as "Sons of Anarchy" and other anti-hero shows were. But alas, it was not. Was it due to poor marketing? Charges of being a Sopranos rip-off? Who knows, but what I do know is the show was nowhere near being a carbon copy of "The Sopranos"."Brotherhood" is a match up of politics and crime, centering around two Irish-American brothers in a Providence, Rhode Island neighborhood called The Hill. We have Tommy Caffee (Jason Clarke), the young, handsome state Rep. from the Hill, and his older brother, Michael (Jason Isaacs), the charming but underneath brutal gangster, who's just returned from a seven year exile after a mobster he had a beef with is murdered. Surrounding them is a mix of family, friends, and associates: Rose Caffee (Fionnula Flanagan), the strong-willed matriarch of the family who is the one who really pulls the strings behind the scenes; Eileen Caffee (Annabeth Gish), Tom's seemly devoted wife who harbors forbidden desires of her own; Mary Kate Martinson, Tom's sister who must bear with the shenanigans of her family as well as the pain of not being able to have children; Freddie Cork (Kevin Chapman), boss of the Irish Mob in Providence, who must balance his suspicion of Michael with Michael's ability to bring in a lot of money; Kath Perry (Tina Benko), Michael's old girlfriend and married mother; Declan "Decko" Griggs (Ethan Embry), a state police detective from the old neighborhood who finds that doing what is right and doing what is necessary isn't really the same thing, and a whole slew of gangsters, politicians, and characters who I don't have the space for. As we follow the two brothers in the respective world, we begin to ask ourselves some troubling questions, such as who is more ruthless, the gangster in the street or the guy in elected office? Is there really much of a difference between the world of crime and politics or between the world of politics and crime? All of this is established through strong acting on the part of Jason Clarke and Jason Isaacs. Jason Clarke is masterful of playing Tommy Caffee, a man who seems to really want to help his district but also desires more power in the world of state politics. How much of his soul is willing to sacrifice to make that a reality and is there anyone or anything he won't sacrifice to make it happen? Then there's Jason Isaacs's portrayal of Michael, the gangster who's returned from exile who must deal with a changing neighborhood while trying to re-establish his power in the rackets. With his steel eyes and cold demeanor, Isaacs more than easily plays the gangster role to the hilt. Of course, none of this would be possible without the intelligent writing of show creator Blake Masters and his crew, who masterfully blend two seemly different worlds until we realize the awful truth; there are no differences between the two, with the final moments of the series finale showing more about the reality of politics than anything else I have ever seen. Despite its short life and somewhat rushed ending, "Brotherhood" is a must see show for those looking for good story-telling and intelligent writing. Whatever you do, don't let this gem of a show pass you by.

scrapmetal7 Please note: The following comment refers to seasons 1 and 2 only.BROTHERHOOD is a gangster drama, but it is much more than that. From almost the very beginning, this show turned the expected gangster show archetypes upside down, delivering a story far more substantive then other offerings of this type. All of the actors involved give noteworthy performances.The engines that drive this story are loss and frustration, reflective of the conditions in today's America, where economic depression and disappointment in failing institutions has become common place. The show's fearful, desperate heart is well reflected by it's bleak, overcast, dusty setting. Although comparisons to HBO's THE SOPRANOS are inevitable, BROTHERHOOD faces a hopelessness and vulnerability that David Chase never reached. Tony Soprano may have had familiar anxieties and fears, but at the end of the day he was still rolling in money and beautiful women, always went home to his mansion, and always beat the feds at their own game. The characters of BROTHERHOOD are not nearly so well insulated. Every single character on the show has to fight for every inch of ground and they usually end up losing anyway.The premise of the prodigal gangster returning to his east coast turf and reclaiming what's his, settling old scores and winning back his girlfriend has been done to death. In the BROTHERHOOD series season one premiere, it seems we are presented with exactly this story. Jason Isaac's Michael Caffee returns to his home neighborhood after seven years, and the whole town reacts as if the angel of death has come to smite them. The cops have an emergency meeting where they refer to him as "Three-Part Mike"(judge, jury, and executioner). Michael immediately springs into action, cutting off a rival's ear and reclaiming all of his criminal enterprises in one fell swoop.By the second episode, however, it becomes clear that this is something different. Michael's money is all fake, and outdated. Clerks at the store can spot it as counterfeit. Instead of charging his way to the top and running the neighborhood, he has to sell his services to the current mob boss, the revolting and hideous Freddie Cork, who constantly threatens his life and undermines everything he tries to do. The girl he cut off Moe's ear to impress, rather than swoon for him in adoring devotion, derides him for being old and ridicules him for living with his mother. No one mentions the "Three-Part Mike" title again.And, of course Michael is not the only one with problems. Tommy, his brother, the neighborhood's representative at city hall, works day and night trying to use his influence to help "The Hill", but more often than not finds every deal he makes broken in the service of greater interests, even as his wife is carrying on a ridiculous affair with a poor, lovestruck mope and the house he can barely pay for is falling apart. And it is not just the main characters who struggle in such futility; their trials are reflected in the city at large as unemployment grows and opportunities disappear, substance abuse spreads among the children, and city planning threatens to turn the neighborhood into parking lots and highway spurs.The cast is excellent. Every review on this board makes special mention of Jason Isaacs as Michael, and deservedly so, but every single performance shines, so just read the cast list. Every character is equally interesting as they struggle to find one last shred of dignity or life affirming experience. A lot of the comments say that there are no likable characters; I feel that to be an over-simplified perspective. It is true that there are no saints or Mary Sues, but every character (except Freddie Cork and Moe Reilley) are a mix of good intentions and compromised values. While every character commits dishonorable acts, these acts rarely define them. Rather, they shed light on their motivations and goals, which we can normally empathize with.Knowing that this story takes some inspiration from the Bulger Brothers and Boston's Winter Hill gang, one might expect to see Michael on a reign of terror with the city in his fist, and Tommy as a crusading politician with the state's fate in his hands. What we have here is the background of all of that, a slow-burning genesis chapter where we see how such men find their way from square one. This is a wrenching, heart breaking, and fascinating study of family ties, shattered hopes and diminishing returns.

dr_foreman The setup of "Brotherhood" seems rather simple, but it works. The series is about two powerful and intelligent brothers, a gangster (Michael) and a politician (Tommy), who are always scheming to advance their respective agendas. Sometimes they work together, but more often they have serious personality clashes. In a nutshell, the series deals with the effects that their power games have on a lower-middle-class community in Providence, Rhode Island.Part of me has a hard time believing the series' depiction of Providence as such a violent, chaotic town, but I suppose some suspension of disbelief is required for nearly all TV shows. But, for the most part, I find Brotherhood extremely realistic, especially in its depiction of the darker aspects of life - e.g. violence, domestic troubles, political backstabbing, and substance abuse.A major theme of the series is that Providence is changing with the times. Michael in particular seems unable to accept that his old Irish neighborhood is becoming increasingly dominated by minorities, and that the family-owned businesses he loved as a kid are closing down and being replaced by corporations like Starbucks. I quite enjoyed the episodes which focused on this theme; the series, at times, is a pretty harsh condemnation of the corporatization of society and its effects on ordinary, working people in Michael's area.Of course, the series isn't always so weighty, and it has other forms of appeal (namely sex, violence, and profanity, all of which feature in great abundance). If you're turned off by crassness and relentlessly vulgar people, "Brotherhood" probably isn't for you, though it does have some sensitive moments.As much as I liked it, the first season did have a few weak points. Some of the political story-lines were repetitive, and occasionally I was put off by the dark tone. However, even during the weaker mid-season episodes, the actors consistently gave strong performances and held my attention. Jason Isaacs, who plays Michael, is incredibly charismatic, and manages to come across as both repugnant and sympathetic (a neat trick, huh?) The rest of the cast is great, too, but somehow Isaacs stands out.The season ended on a pretty good cliffhanger, though I was left wanting a little more. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if season two gives me what I want. For now, though, I'm confident in asserting that "Brotherhood" is one of the best new TV shows in years, and I've been recommending it like crazy to my friends. It's addictive for all the right reasons.

zpaps This is one of the best series ever made!! The only one comparable is the Shield. The Brotherhood makes the Sopranos look like something written by 4th graders... and the product placement has gone too far!! I have been ranting about Bro-hood to everyone I know. Weird thing is- NONE of these people have even heard of it!! They are all Sopranos faithfuls, and once they checked this out- addicted for life!! Wish they were marketing it a bit heavier so's to get the following it rightly deserves... And thanks for actually having integrity (to the writers/producers) to NOT sell out a good script to market this to the masses of as$e$!! Hope there will be a LOT more seasons of this!!! (And when is the second season starting?? I am going crazy with anticipation!!)