My first impression of the trailer of Jacques Audiard’s (Dheepan) The Sisters Brothers was that it too quickly and too easily reminded me of a Quentin Tarantino movie. The trailer teetered the line of whether it was a drama or a comedy, a comedy masquerading itself as a drama, a drama trying to go for so much dark humor, or a variety of other techniques made famous by one of our generation’s most recognized and revered directors. But, honestly, to compare Audiard’s film to one of Tarantino’s would be doing a disservice to Audiard because this movie is better than anything Tarantino has directed since Pulp Fiction, except for 2009’s Inglourious Basterds. This Tarantino was one that I liked, but one, like each of his movies, had more than a few scenes that were difficult to watch.
I know plenty of fans out there think I’m crazy for not liking The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Sin City, Kill Bill, Jackie Brown, etc., but these haven’t been my kind of movies. Some of the stories are good, and some of the screenplays he creates are worthy of the Oscar nominations they receive. Still, I can’t get past so many of the uncomfortable scenes, especially his unneeded yet repetitive use of the “N” word repeatedly. The last time I saw a Tarantino film in the theatre was 1996’s From Dusk Til Dawn (a movie whose first half I loved before falling apart). The Hateful Eight was a movie I turned off after 15 minutes because of its excessive use of the “N” word.
Django Unchained, a film that uses the “N” word over 100 times, was one that I suffered through because it had received a nomination for Best Picture of the Year, and I watch all Best Picture nominated movies. I am still upset that I gave that movie over two hours. But this is not a post to voice my displeasure over Tarantino. It is a review to celebrate Audiard’s making a name for himself in this unique movie, which I didn’t love but did appreciate. What a 2018 it was for Joaquin Phoenix (Reservation Road, Irrational Man)! This man had had a fantastic year. He had Best Actor Oscar buzz surrounding three movies (Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, You Were Never Really Here, and The Sisters Brothers). While he ultimately did not receive his fourth Oscar nomination, he carried three completely different films, playing three characters in movies that earned 89%, 76%, and 86%, respectively. He’s become a pretty polarizing actor and angered many people with his retirement hoax in 2009/2010 to promote his movie I’m Still Here.
Nevertheless, the man continues to deliver in absolutely all of his movies. And he delivers here as Charlie Sisters, the younger brother of Eli (John C. Reilly – Chicago, Stan & Ollie), two hitmen who work for The Commodore. They aren’t particularly unlikable men, but they do terrible things, such as killing anyone their boss asks them to kill without question. Part of the Tarantino part is the guiltless consciousnesses. While I don’t think Charlie and Eli particularly WANT to kill any of these people, it doesn’t necessarily seem like they are losing sleep after they do so.
The newest mission assigned by The Commodore involves finding Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed – Jason Bourne, Nightcrawler). Warm has found a formula for discovering Gold. The movie’s premise is relatively simple. The brothers are to track down Warm, get this formula from him, and kill him. That’s great, but Eli is less concerned with the potential torturing and eventual killing of another man than he is with finding a good horse for the trip after his current one dies as a result of the duo’s first mission.
The upcoming mission could last long as the brothers travel the Pacific Northwest and wherever else the trail might lead them. But Warm isn’t alone. While working down Myrtle Creek (the one on the west coach and not the east), he is being followed by Detective John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler, Wildlife). Morris, a lawman, is tasked with a similar assignment of finding Warm. But rather than killing this innocent man, it’s his job just to bring him in so that he can share the formula with other higher-ups. After some initial flare-ups, the two eventually bond, and Morris agrees to follow Warm on a planned venture rather than bring him in immediately. The brothers stop in California, learning that Warm and Morris have recently been to. They learn that a group of men from this city has also learned of Warm’s secret. They aren’t aware of the plans of the Sisters Brothers. But the Sisters Brothers know what we know now. We are in for a doozie of a shootout at some point in this movie.
The best parts of this movie are the acting and its ability not to take itself so seriously while at the same time not making a mockery of itself. Audiard toed the line of not creating something so dreary that it would go beyond his initial hope, keep moviegoers away, and tell a profound story that had severe consequences for his characters. I’m not sure what was left on the editing floor and what wasn’t, but what we have is a drama that isn’t the most intense movie you’ll ever see, but one that you’ll know that the tone is more serious than not, even if there are some humerous parts, particularly between Charlie and Eli.
We have two main characters in our brothers, but another pair of characters in Warm and Morris is the perfect foil. While the acting is fine, the character development could be better. I didn’t see much growth from our characters from credits to credits for a movie that clocked in at just over two hours. There was some, I’m sure, but I was more engrossed with this ever-so-simple story and the interactions between the various characters involved. I wouldn’t call this a “fun” or “enjoyable” film because it certainly was grim, but it was simple enough to follow. And, in the end, it had a definitive beginning, middle, and end. Sometimes, that’s what you want from your moviegoing experience more than anything else.
It’s not quite there for me to truly recommend it. I didn’t have much desire to see it, but I’m glad I gave it a shot.
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 7.5/10
Directing 8/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 7/10
Hook and Reel 7/10
Universal Relevance 7/10
79.5%
C+
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Django Unchained
- True Grit
- You Were Never Really Here
- The Rider
- Hell or High Water