By Christina Serednicki, Staff Writer

The movie trailer for “Brothers” seemed to promise an action-packed drama that would constantly have you on the edge of your seat. An American adaptation of the 2004 Danish film, “Brodre,” “Brothers” tells the story of the complicated relationships between brothers Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire), and Sam’s wife, Grace (Natalie Portman).

Maguire’s character is the older of the two brothers, a respected Captain in the Marines, about to be deployed again to Afghanistan, much to the dismay of his wife and two young daughters. Gyllenhaal is rough around the edges, in and out of jail, without a family. The tense conversation make it obvious that Tommy is not very well-liked, as he did not fit the same mold as his brother Sam.

Some time into Sam’s tour, his wife and family are given the awful news that the cherished son, father, and husband has been killed in war. Gyllenhaal’s character then steps up as the male influence in his niece’s lives, maturing greatly to do his best to ease the pain of Sam’s death. Thinking that her husband is dead, Grace and Tommy briefly kiss one night while talking.

The news that Sam was being tortured by the enemy, but is still alive, is delivered to the Cahill home one afternoon, shocking everyone, particularly Portman and Gyllenhaal’s characters. Sam returns home, obviously a changed man, disturbed greatly by the horrors of war. His children now relate better to their Uncle Tommy, he has grown distant from his wife and former life.

This film has excellent potential, but falls short. The plot is original and could have been developed into an intriguing story, but turned out shallow and dull. The script didn’t give the characters much depth, but all of the actors give good performances, working with what they were given. Maguire, typically linked with his roles in the “Spiderman” films, stepped out from the nerdy Peter Parker confines and was quite convincing as a torn war veteran struggling with borderline insanity and rage.

All of the major events and most action filled sequences were shown in the trailer. It seems as if the movie is very unfinished, certainly not living up to the obvious potential of the storyline. The story itself subtly moved full circle however.   

While the film could have artistically explored human behavior when dealing with sudden grief, it did not. It could have also thoroughly explored the mental torture Maguire experiences as he tries to adjust to his life at home. Instead of immersing the audience in these issues, “Brothers” simply skimmed over them, only leaving the viewer dissatisfied and wanting more.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman play sister and brother-in-law in new film, “Brothers.” (Photo courtesy of1.bp.blogspot.com)