A tragedy affects a family in this taut tale.
Comment
05/10/05
Brothers (2005)
89
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:70
Fresh:62
Rotten:8
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: This tense, understated drama explores the complications of individual and social ethics stemming from the repercussions of war on one man and his family.
Theatrical Release:May 6, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $245,006
Synopsis: Connie Nielsen, who has played pivotal roles in such English-language films as GLADIATOR, THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, and RUSHMORE, is the powerful and emotional heart of BROTHERS, a moving Danish film... [More]
Starring: Connie Nielsen, Ulrich Thomsen, Nicolaj Lie Kass, Lene Maria Christensen
Director: Susanne Bier
Get This Movie
Reviews for Brothers
The performances are impressive, especially Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Jannik and the very sympathetic Nielsen, who relishes the chance to show she's more than just a pretty face.
05/10/05
This is a tight, tense and extremely well-acted film, with no easy answers and an ending that felt was just right.
05/09/05
Top CriticAs for [Connie] Nielsen, she proves that Hollywood has yet to give her a role that's worthy of her talents and gives a strong performance that is effectively the centre of the film.
05/07/05
An appropriately uneasy blend of graphic military drama and tender romance, Brothers pulls no punches even as its worst violence occurs offscreen.
05/06/05
This is perhaps the most moving and eloquent film of life on the home front since Coming Home.
05/06/05
Well positioned on that slippery cliff called melodrama, Susanne Bier's grainy, intimate, almost claustrophobic family drama, Brothers, keeps its footing, never falling into the deep chasm of Soap Opera.
05/06/05
A meticulous, nuanced, hugely powerful drama about an already splintered family thrown into chaos by a seeming tragedy.
05/06/05
Top CriticDirector Susanne Bier avoids cliches as she studies the shifting family dynamic.
05/06/05
Bier tries to give us bleeding humanity on a plate; the result is unpalatable.
05/06/05
This Danish drama of guilt, displacement and brotherly love is all the better for its understatement.
05/06/05
A powerhouse drama that puts us through a wringer of emotions.
05/05/05
Top CriticWhile its focus is domestic drama, the film doesn't shy away from harsh scenes of wartime violence.
05/05/05
The Danish filmmaker Suzanne Bier's gripping psychological drama is her second film to examine events worthy of Greek tragedy through a contemporary therapeutic lens.
05/05/05
Top CriticThe deficiencies of Brothers lie in its wholesale adoption of war film clichés and obvious plotting.
05/05/05
This story might have been a standard melodrama in less gifted hands, but Bier uses a leisurely pace and subtly stylized camera work to make it an intelligent, deeply moving exploration of social and individual ethics.
05/05/05
Brothers emerges as no less or more than Bier's claustrophobic compositions and unimaginative choices.
05/03/05
Top CriticExplores the primal emotions of sibling rivalry and the toxins of violence in those returning home from war zones.
04/28/05
Every plot point follows a soapy and well-worn path, but the characters speak to each other as if they've known each other their entire lives.
04/11/05
Again shows what skilled artists can do with a story that might have ended up filled with cliches.
04/02/05
Latest News for Brothers
October 05, 2007:
The Weekly Ketchup: Incredible Hulk Spoilers, Terminator 4 Director, Next Karate Kid
In this week's Ketchup, some Incredible Hulk spoilers surface, the next Terminator appears on track with a new director, and The Karate Kid just got younger. More...
September 19, 2007:
Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal are Brothers?
All those rumors about Jake Gyllenhaal replacing Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man don't seem to have caused a rift between the two actors -- in fact, Variety is reporting that... More...
October 05, 2005:
Summer Tomatometer Wrap-up #3: The Best of the Limited Releases
In the hot summer months, everyone's looking for a way to cool down. This summer, movie audiences decided one of the best places to beat the heat was in the barren,... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review 
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
40 Best Films of the 2000s
Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds