Synopsis
Peter and Michael, raised on the streets of Philadelphia, are the children of Irish mob members, forever linked by the crimes of their fathers. 30 years later, Michael now runs the criminal organization and lusts for more power, his dangerous antics frequently held in check by his cautious cousin Peter. Haunted by the death of his sister, whose passing destroyed both his parents, Peter is caught between the dreams of childhood and the realities of his life as an enforcer. His only reprieve is a local boxing gym, a sanctuary that is quickly threatened as Michael’s desire for control escalates.
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Cast
- Matthias SchoenaertsPeter Flood
- Joel KinnamanMichael
- Maika MonroeGrace
- Paul SchneiderJimmy
- Ryan PhillippeCharley
- Nicholas CrovettiYoung Peter
- Felix ScottPhil
- Antoni CoroneBono
- James Nelson-JoyceLeonard
- Tim AhernTaylor
Recommendations
- 80
Film Threat
It may not break new ground when it comes to this genre, one involving betrayal and heavily-accented mob bosses and brotherly love, but when a familiar path is tread with such confidence, you just may want to take another stroll. - 60
Variety
It’s only Guez’s second film, although he’s written others (including the similarly genre-subverting zombie movie “The Night Eats the World”), and there’s enough promise here — especially on the performance front — to look forward to future projects. - 50
Original-Cin
Visually drab, tonally flat, and with precious few sympathetic or relatable characters, Brothers by Blood reduces the high-minded concept of filial loyalty across multiple generations to a paint-by-numbers power play. - 40
The Hollywood Reporter
The picture rarely makes that business much to look at, providing some kind of energy to offset the actor's appropriate reserve. It feels rather plodding as a result, failing to turn the boxer's conflicting loyalties into the stuff of crime-flick high drama. - 40
Austin Chronicle
It's hard to say that any other edit would be better, because Brothers by Blood is one single, grey mass to the bone, an unfortunate use of a sterling cast and a book that deserves a more textured retelling. - 38
Movie Nation
There’s no suspense, no flow to the story, little pathos in the flashbacks and a lot of dead spots where the story stops cold. I like everybody on the screen here, just not in this movie — not in this cut of it anyway. - 38
RogerEbert.com
A superficial force eats at this movie from the inside, including the way that it’s a brawny script with nil visual grit, and a style that mostly announces itself with sporadic neo-noir lighting. - 30
Screen Rant
Brothers by Blood is an incomprehensible, frustrating mess that barely touches on its narrative themes and completely wastes the talents of its actors.
