Vigaristas

I genuinely had no idea of what to expect in this movie when I started it as I just pulled it from a pile of movies to watch, but I walked away positively surprised and satisfied. It was a really good movie. "OK", you might think. "So how come there are so many negative comments here then?" Have I lost my marbles or am I saying that all the negative reviews are wrong? Well, of course not. In fact, I understand some think this film was a turkey but I will get to that later. But first, as you may have guessed already, I thought it was brilliant and quite refreshing. I'll even be as bold in saying that they hardly make movies like this any more (and I can say that against the background that this review is written in 2020, 11 years after the film premiered). I found the film well scripted, excellently cast and the filming locations were selected and captured perfectly. In case it wasn't already obvious, making movies is an expensive business and the selection of filming locations have a massive impact on the overall cost of the film hence why so many films try to film outside the LA, California and US in particular. You want to use relatable environments so that the audience can connect to the culture, life and events that the director tries to convey in the film. And far too often we see movies filmed in low(er)-cost countries such as Romania, Serbia, Czech Republic etc and they just feel, well, cheap. Not here though ! Here they did this masterfully and every shot perfectly captured the soul of each location the way the director wanted it to be experienced by the audience. The trio in the leading cast (Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) exuded confidence and realism and they truly lifted this intricate plot and made the story feel alive. Rinko Kikuchi's character, on the other hand, felt underdeveloped and could have been worked on more to add more depth to the story and this is probably my only negative feedback.....but, this is my opinion. And after all, a movie is the Director's work of art and it is not for me to tell him how he should express his own vision. But why did I say in the beginning of my review that I understand why some rate this film a turkey? The long and short version is that movie audiences have been spoon-fed crap movies for decades. Formulaic action/comedy/romantic dramas that certainly entertains while you're in front of the screen but are as forgettable as they are hollow. So after decades on an unhealthy diet of rubbish, the standards have now been set at such a level that the average consumer no longer expect that the entertainment value in watching a movie should be more than a fleeting encounter or not just 90 minutes of killing time. I know that this will be hard for some to swallow but that's the raw truth. Watch this film while not expecting the standard fast-paced action, tear-dripping dramas and mindless one-liners but expect instead honest acting, good scripting and quality movie making and you'll find that there is great lasting entertainment value in this film.

I have to say , this movie was certainly a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the crap that has been coming out of the big production houses.

If your looking for a different movie all together , with a good story line , great acting and lovely music score ( composed by Nathan Johnson , its perfectly matches the essence being portrayed in the movie) , this is it.

Adrien Brody , Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weiz are just amazing through out the movie . The chemistry between Brody and Ruffalo is certainly a high light of the movie , they don't look like brothers but throughout the movie you hardly notice. Rachel Weiz is as always amazing. Love her character.

Of course i cannot go away without mentioning Rinko Kikuchi as Bang Bang ,hardly any dialogues in the movie apart from a few one liners ,including "FUCK ME " ( you cannot miss it :P ) she definitely steals the show as the quirky mysterious sidekick .

I am writing this right after watching the movie so my rating as of now is definitely 9, a must watch if your tired of the usual movies hitting the screens.

Recommended.

This film is about two brothers executing the ultimate scheme to con a rich attractive woman.

I never thought a Rachel Weisz movie could be dull and senseless as this, but "The Brothers Bloom" really takes that trophy. The plot is dull, and it fails to engage me at all. The pacing is so slow, that I felt so bored after the first twenty minutes. They could have at least cut fifteen minutes of that and not affected the story. It's just far too long, with so many uninteresting and unimportant scenes in between the useful scenes. I feel so sorry for Rinko Kikuchi's character, as she is delegated to a replaceable prop, which actually could be deleted entirely without affecting the story.

As a con movie it is too slow and winding, as a romantic comedy it lacks the uplifting factor. In short, "The Brothers Bloom" is a dull mess.

Rachel's role, Penelope, in The Brothers Bloom is far from her Oscar-winning effort in The Constant Gardener, but she elevates her role putting herself on par with Tessa Quale. Weisz steals the show here in a fun, energetic, elaborate tale, The Brothers Bloom.

You'll be bouncing out of you seats watching this film. The script is absolutely hilarious, the director moves fast keeping the material alive, and the performances are classy and strong, but what guides The Brothers Bloom (besides Weisz, of course) is the explosive editing. It's hyperactive, but not obnoxious. It's cool , fun and hip.

Like I've stated before, Weisz steals the show. Her character Penelope is one of the most memorable and well-written characters in recent memory and Weisz is up to the challenge of taking on that role. She's the most interesting character so you immediately take a liking to her. She's so adorable as the bright, lovely character, but the great thing about her performance is underneath all that lies great sorrow.

The rest of the performances aren't too shabby either. Adrien Brody is very good and convincing but it over-towered, by the other more colorful characters. Mark Ruffalo is charming and a ridiculous ball of fun. Rinko Kikuchi has almost no lines, but still gets big laughs.

There are dazzling visuals including some gorgeous costumes and set designs. This is a very funny film. Top that with the amount of energy and entertainment throughout, you're in a for a fantastic thrill ride. Not to mention the glorious performances, especially form the magnificent Rachel Weisz. A delightful thrill ride and the best comedy of 2009; 9

While the complete polar opposite of Brick, Johnson left the Dashiell Hammett prose and instead decided to delve into Wes Anderson territory. His The Brothers Bloom is a smart, witty adventure that takes some unexpected turns on its journey, never lets a detail fall into obscurity, and shows that if nothing else, he is a high caliber storyteller that should be around for a long time, not rehashing the same thing over and over again, but churning out refreshingly new and unique yarns to entertain and enlighten.

This tale is about a duo of con men—the best in the world—who reunite to do one last job. The younger, Bloom, has been playing the roles written by Stephen since they were children, always embodying the character so easily because it allowed him to be that which was not himself. After having fallen in love with too many marks, only to watch as they swindled and left them out to dry, Bloom is ready to quit and goes into self-imposed exile for three years until his partner finds him and rounds him up for one last big score. That score involves an eccentric shut-in, a woman who has never left her mansion and collects hobbies in order to entertain herself. A master with a deck of cards, juggler extraordinaire, harp player, and ping-pong champ, amongst other activities, there is little she does not know. This epileptic photographer is anxious to go off on an adventure and opening up to the Brothers Bloom is her perfect opportunity to do so, and their best chance at an easy million dollars.

What the men did not account for was her inexhaustible sense of enthusiasm and uncanny knack for the con game. Getting herself out of situations that the brothers can't even fathom and catching on to things so quickly, it's as though the mark becomes the professional, however, that is exactly Stephen's plan. She is a woman of intelligence, beauty, and unique without compare. Penelope is exactly the girl that Bloom has been looking for, but of course, she is discovered in one of Stephen's stories, accessible only until they must cut her loose. Yet, here comes the first "what if" of the film. What if our orchestrator has concocted this all for Bloom, a con on a grand scale in order to give him the life he always wanted? Bloom does say that Penelope feels just like one of Stephen's characters, but as he says in his defense, "the day I con you, is the day I die." We can only hope those words don't become prophetically true.

Johnson weaves an intricate shell game for his characters to roam through, crossing paths, discovering secrets, telling lies, and possibly conning each other. No one truly can tell what's real because not only are they unsure themselves, they know that every one of them has the potential to make-up an elaborate scheme to confuse and manipulate. Ruffalo is the true artist at this game, crudely drawing up a plan of attack in brainstorm bubble trees, thinly veiling his tales with inside jokes that a woman like Penelope (Weisz) is well-informed enough to see through, yet too naïve to put together. Straight from the start, a childhood narrated by Ricky Jay, these boys have gotten what they wanted and planned to perfection. Trained by the nefarious Diamond Dog, the men, (Brody portraying the other, Bloom), have eclipsed their master and took the world by storm. Along with their pyrotechnics guru Bang Bang, (Rinko Kikuchi) and a select cast of regular actors (Robbie Coltrane as the Belgian and a great string of cameos in a bar scene early on with Nora Zehetner, Noah Segan, and a blink-and-you'll-miss-him Joseph Gordon Levitt all showing some Brick love), the boys always get what they want. Ultimately attempting to create the perfect con—so well planned out and airtight that it happens all by itself—this con becomes reality and everyone gets exactly what they wanted.

The Brothers Bloom is told in a storybook fashion with bright colors and in-focus frames. Johnson jam-packs each composition with detail upon detail, never shying away from having an important plot point occur in the background, behind a conversation or action by our leads at the forefront. Most times they are jokes, lending some levity to the situation, one that becomes ever more dark as the charade goes along; unexpectedly dark, yet perfectly so. His use of humor infuses a heart into the proceedings and a true bond and relationship between Stephen and Bloom, two men that learn to hate each other at the end of a job, but always come to the others help when needed at the start. You must be diligent to the environment surrounding our actors, as it is just as much playing a role as they, helping a truly bold and intricate story be disguised as a simple one. Very slight on first appearance, it is the fact that it's so well told that makes it seem simpler than it really is. Without any bloated superfluities or weakly handled tangents, this tightly woven tapestry lives on its own at a breakneck speed, culminating with a spectacular final twist, an end that had been building up right from the start in that bourgeois playground during the boys' foster home placement. The Brothers Bloom look out for each other and never let the other down, no matter what damage it may cause to themselves. In the end, they do it all for their brother, anything they can to make the other's life a success.