A precursor to "The Godfather", "The Brotherhood" is a 1968 crime drama by director Martin Ritt.
Another forgotten auteur of the 1960s, and at one time loosely affiliated with left-wing and communist groups, the majority of Ritt's films feature ideological clashes. His 1965 masterpiece, "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold", for example, features Russian "communists" and Western "capitalists" engaging in games of deception and infiltration. "The Molly Maguires" (1970), meanwhile, features union groups being infiltrated by strike busters, whilst "Norma Rae" (1979) does the opposite, with unionists and agitators covertly infiltrating a textile factory. Such themes infect the majority of Ritt's films. "The Front" (1976), for example, finds an unwitting communist sympathiser hounded during the Red Scare years, whilst his 1963 and 1967 masterpieces, "Hud" and "Hombre", revolve around very specific cultural clashes, unhinged greed winning in "Hud", altruism and self-sacrifice in "Hombre", both to disastrous effects. The rest of Ritt's films ("Sounder", "Conrack", "Great White Hope" etc) tend to focus on the victims of racism, sexism or early 20th century capitalism. In this way, Ritt resembles many of the iconoclastic auteurs of mid century American cinema (Altman, Ashby, Michael Ritchie etc).
One of Ritt's lesser films, "The Brotherhood" stars Kirk Douglas as Frank Ginetta, a powerful mafia lord. Frank belongs to a "brotherhood" of gangsters, a collection of warlords who have their own codes, laws and shared interests. When this "brotherhood" attempts to diversify, expand and extend its reach in the search of new profits, Frank protests. Market expansion is fine, he says, but gangsters have their place. Encroach on the spheres and monopolies of the state and/or other "legitimate" businesses, and you'll draw unwanted attention. The other crime lords don't agree. They can make the transition, they insist.
As he remains steadfast in his convictions, the "brotherhood" attempt to oust Frank; they hire Frank's brother Vince to assassinate him. In scenes which recall the many "undercover agents" which litter Ritt's filmography, Vince "infiltrates" Frank's island stronghold and plots the latter's demise. Vince then takes over his brother's business, his entire body now epitomising the objectivity and impersonality of the New Economic Order.
At its best, "The Brotherhood" watches as a kind of nascent, tribal capitalism tries to sneak its way into the 21st century. All who oppose are killed, an act which echoes the fratricide of Ritt's "Hud" and genocides of Ritt's "Hombre". Caught in the middle of this "progress" is Ginetta, who embodies the kind of ideological confusion most Ritt leading men face. "Don't get confused which side you're on!" a character in Ritt's "The Molly Maguires" bluntly states.
Whilst "The Brotherhood" is interesting in relation to Ritt's other films, as a standalone picture it's mostly weak. Lewis John Carlino's script is superficial and Douglas is wholly miscast.
7.5/10 – Worth one viewing.
Another forgotten auteur of the 1960s, and at one time loosely affiliated with left-wing and communist groups, the majority of Ritt's films feature ideological clashes. His 1965 masterpiece, "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold", for example, features Russian "communists" and Western "capitalists" engaging in games of deception and infiltration. "The Molly Maguires" (1970), meanwhile, features union groups being infiltrated by strike busters, whilst "Norma Rae" (1979) does the opposite, with unionists and agitators covertly infiltrating a textile factory. Such themes infect the majority of Ritt's films. "The Front" (1976), for example, finds an unwitting communist sympathiser hounded during the Red Scare years, whilst his 1963 and 1967 masterpieces, "Hud" and "Hombre", revolve around very specific cultural clashes, unhinged greed winning in "Hud", altruism and self-sacrifice in "Hombre", both to disastrous effects. The rest of Ritt's films ("Sounder", "Conrack", "Great White Hope" etc) tend to focus on the victims of racism, sexism or early 20th century capitalism. In this way, Ritt resembles many of the iconoclastic auteurs of mid century American cinema (Altman, Ashby, Michael Ritchie etc).
One of Ritt's lesser films, "The Brotherhood" stars Kirk Douglas as Frank Ginetta, a powerful mafia lord. Frank belongs to a "brotherhood" of gangsters, a collection of warlords who have their own codes, laws and shared interests. When this "brotherhood" attempts to diversify, expand and extend its reach in the search of new profits, Frank protests. Market expansion is fine, he says, but gangsters have their place. Encroach on the spheres and monopolies of the state and/or other "legitimate" businesses, and you'll draw unwanted attention. The other crime lords don't agree. They can make the transition, they insist.
As he remains steadfast in his convictions, the "brotherhood" attempt to oust Frank; they hire Frank's brother Vince to assassinate him. In scenes which recall the many "undercover agents" which litter Ritt's filmography, Vince "infiltrates" Frank's island stronghold and plots the latter's demise. Vince then takes over his brother's business, his entire body now epitomising the objectivity and impersonality of the New Economic Order.
At its best, "The Brotherhood" watches as a kind of nascent, tribal capitalism tries to sneak its way into the 21st century. All who oppose are killed, an act which echoes the fratricide of Ritt's "Hud" and genocides of Ritt's "Hombre". Caught in the middle of this "progress" is Ginetta, who embodies the kind of ideological confusion most Ritt leading men face. "Don't get confused which side you're on!" a character in Ritt's "The Molly Maguires" bluntly states.
Whilst "The Brotherhood" is interesting in relation to Ritt's other films, as a standalone picture it's mostly weak. Lewis John Carlino's script is superficial and Douglas is wholly miscast.
7.5/10 – Worth one viewing.