Brotherhood - Legami di sangue

People don't like original stories anymore. This isn't a copy cat of every drama out there, it's got its own twist. It's own meaning and picture. Great actors, great characters. Micheal caffe goes down with some of the hardest movie or tv gangsters like tony soprano or Avon barksdale. You have to like crime dramas to enjoy this. It's not fake pg 13 basic tv it's an accurate portrayal of an Irish mob.

This is now my absolute favorite series on television. I don't watch much television so, for me, this is a big compliment to the writers and creators of this show. This show has all the right ingredients; great actors, writing, and plot lines. This is a great combination that is sure to please even the most demanding viewers. Highly Recommended.

I was a big fan of "The Soprano's", but last season kind of turned me off. I still mourn the loss of "Six Feet Under", perhaps the best series I have ever seen.

With "Weeds" and a few promising series coming up (i.e. "Dexter"), I do believe Showtime is the "new" HBO. Bravo Showtime!

I do believe this is the best series I've ever watched. As far as its authenticities go concerning accents and mannerisms, I can not attest to this. I can say however that the casting job was wonderful. The way this show is written allows the series to make a statement about how politics and organized crime (even at a small level) are very similar. Michael Caffee shows up in town after several years away to find his family where he left them. His Brother tommy is a politician and though they have chosen completely different lives, they seem to have the kind of bond that is missing in America today. Right off the back we find in the series how connected the whole town is based on their roots and having grown up together. All the gangsters, politicians, and everyone else seem to be quite intertwined in the general plots in the first series, but the most impressive character to me is Michael Caffee. I don't think I've ever seen a better casting job, and the strength in his face when he looks at the camera is truly exactly what you see in a street guys face. But as I said they are all perfectly cast. I cant imagine how the show could be better except I think there could be a bit more about what michaels doing sometimes because some gaps need to be filled. On the other hand I cant say that the more political episodes weren't good as they lay the ground for much of the general plot lines in the series and would if this were real life affect their lives more than Michaels entanglements. In a way this kind of sums up the two brothers personalities where michael being more in charge of his own life stays in the shadows, while Tommy's public life forces him to be more slippery and therefore is harder to control. In summation It is the best gangster show I've seen and only hope that unlike the sopranos it doesn't drift off the main focus. The only way this could happen i think is if they loose the balance of showing all the characters which happened very much in the sopranos.

Brotherhood is one of my new (and third) favorite television series. My other two favorites are Sopranos and The Wire. This series is similar in its genre to "Sopranos" and "The Wire" but it is MUCH DARKER. I highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys dark (in a violent, not funny, kind of way) films. In fact its one of the darkest depictions of the human condition I've ever seen on any screen. What separates this show from other gangster series (such as the Sopranos) is that it is almost impossible to find a character to like; unless of course you like bad guys (Michael is my favorite character). Rule #1 of Brotherhood is that there are NO GOOD GUYS; that is to say this series depicts the evil side of nearly every character in the series, including the women and children, hardly ever showing anyone in a positive light. The mothers are bad, the daughters are bad, the politicians are bad, and the gangsters are bad (but not much worse than the politicians by contrast; which I believe is one of the major themes of the show.) In Sopranos some of the gangsters are at least a slight bit likable but not in Brotherhood.

For those of you who don't already know, the story is based on the true life of James J. "Whitey" Bulger, the second longest running guy who is currently of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List. You can read about on Wikipedia (WARNING: reading about Whitey might spoil some of the upcoming events in the series as many of them are similar to events in his real life.) A lot of the details are changed like the time frame (Bulger reigned during the 80s) and the location (Bulger was in Boston, Michael is in Rhode Island). And yes, Whitey Bulger did has a brother who was into politics, going from President of the State Senate in Massachusetts to the President of UMASS, where he was working until his brother was added to FBI's Top Ten.

Overall the writing, acting (especially Michael), and directing are fantastic. I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in this genre, or in the Irish Mafia. I would not recommend it to children or sensitive adults simply because it's such a dark series, it is so well made it can even be depressing at times.

One of my favorites. A huge fan of The Sopranos as well, both shows have similarities, serious matters, crime, ethics, family etc. But Brotherhood is heavier, there are hardly any scenes written to make you laugh. But that don't makes this series sad. This is a fine show, great script, story with hooks and great acting. Don't miss out on this! After each episode I start thinking about the next, I contemplate what I would do if was in one of the characters situation. The day after me and my friends are talking about the same thing. This show demands a response from it's viewer and I'm a living proof.

I hope it runs for many more years.