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As Eugene Novikov wrote, the most difficult films to write about are the good ones that disappoint. Rian Johnson debuted with the extraordinary noir-esque thriller cum high school murder mystery, Brick. It announced a new talent whose bag of ideas was as deep as his deadpan humour was dark. Johnson’s sophomore effort reveals none of that has changed. The Brothers Bloom is stuffed with extraordinary notions pinned to the screen with a throat-puckeringly dry sense of wit exercised by the engagingly screen-wise ministrations of his award-winning cast.
Orphaned young, Bloom the elder designs deceptions to amuse and protect his brother. They prove so effective, distraction becomes a career but one over which Bloom the younger has no control. He wants an ‘unwritten life’ where not everything is part of a con game. Stephen the elder plots a farewell story with unfortunate consequences that begin when Bloom unexpectedly falls for their mark, an eccentric millionairess. Perhaps this is the start of something new, or has Stephen merely scripted it to look that way?
The Brothers Bloom is not Mamet by way of Ritchie and doesn’t attempt audience startlers or any big reveals. There’s nonchalance at foot that leaves room for Johnson’s talent and esprit to shine. Introduced with attention grabbing originality, his film is awash with intriguing jazzy delight before slipping a gear from which it never fully recovers. The story looses a cohesive spark and many attractive ideas are left dangling in a rush to tie a knot around the prestige.
That is the disappointment for until then, Johnson has winningly navigated genre mechanics to present the familiar through a delightfully warped lens. Even though The Brothers Bloom remains clever, funny and touching, it wants for the punch that made a good film like Brick, great.
// COLIN FRASER
moviereview colin fraser film movie australia review critic flicks