Les chaînes du sang

The De Cocos are a rambunctious bunch. They're working class Bronx family. Louis "Chubby" De Coco (Paul Sorvino) is the protective uncle. Thomas "Stony" De Coco (Richard Gere) is the more sensitive one. Everybody yells. The younger son can't eat. Stony takes a recreational assistant job at a children's hospital ward and turns down his father (Tony Lo Bianco)'s coveted union construction job.

The acting is very broad. The characters are strangely wild like the son who wouldn't eat and his mother having a fit. It's an over-the-top stereotypical portrayal of an Italian-American family. It's not quirky in a funny way. It's like everybody is trying to be in a Streetcar Named Desire. In that way, Richard Gere shows that he has the screen presence to compete against more veteran actors like Sorvino and Bianco. It also has Marilu Henner at the same time as she starts her Taxi run. Sorvino is pushing for acting accolades if only he didn't whip that chain around.

I just watch Bloodbrothers for the first time and I was quite impressed that the individual stories of each of the six (6) De Coco family members struck me as very real and heart felt. The two (2) senior middle aged De Coco male family members brothers Tommy (Tony Lo Bianco) and Chubby (Paul Sorvino) were especially well acted.

Tommy DeCoco's family is comprised of his troubled and mentally unstable wife Phyllis (Yvonne Wilder), and their two sons, ten (10) year old Albert (Michael Hershewe) who lives in fear of his mother's continued insistance that Albert is too thin and must eat more, and their adult 22 year old son Stony (Richard Gere) who is on the cusp of making the biggest decision in his young life, which is his chosen career path. Stony's father Tommy wants his son Stony to follow in his Italian heritage work path which is in construction, but what Stony really wants to do is to work with young children, most likely as an extension of the love and care he outwardly provides continually to his younger and troubled little brother Albert.

Tommy's brother Chubby, (Paul Sorvino) is filled with life and much love for his brother Tommy's entire family. In a very sombre moment in the middle of the film Chubby shares with the local wheelchair bound barkeeper Banion (Kenneth McMillan) why him and his wife do not have any children of their own and why Chubby is so deeply attached to his brother Tommy's two (2) children.

There are also strong supporting roles by actors Yvonne Wilder, Kenneth McMillan, Kristen DeBell, Floyd Levine, and Marilu Henner. The interaction between Richard Gere and Marilu Henner helped both actors lead very succesful subsequent film careere.s Although the film runs for less than two (2) hours in length there is a lifetime of memories to capture our attention. Two such memorable examples are the birthday celebration of barkeeper Banion, and the family trip by car that everyone has to wear their Sunday best for as Tommy and Chubby surprise their respective families with what they have purchased for their families future use.

This is a film that is a classic and is worthy of a much higher IMDB rating. Maybe some families just cannot face reality, I for one embrace both the love and hardship almost all blue collar families are confronted with in our daily lives.

I give Bloodbrothers a most deserving 9 out of 10 rating

Richard Gere had a great year in 1978. He was getting alot of attention from "Looking for Mr. Goodbar", "Days of Heaven" and this movie. I enjoyed this movie very much and that was in large part to the performance of Gere. He plays a nice kid who only wants to work with children and be nice to his little brother, but his Dad (Tony LoBiano) is a macho construction worker who wants his son to be a bad-ass like him. His uncle (Paul Sorvino) is not much more understanding, but he is a little more human than the father. Gere's mother is also very frustrated by the father's inhumanity. There is a subplot involving a bartender (the late Kenneth McMillan) who cannot reach out to his gay son. The theme of the movie is understanding, compassion and love and Richard Gere as 'Stony' personifies these qualities perfectly. I have not read the novel by Richard Price, and I probably should since he is one of my favorite authors.

Right from the get-go, this thing is off the chain! Paul Sorvino and Tony Lo Bianco play two "bruddas from Noo Yawk" who work in construction and are getting drunk. Richard Gere, who actually seems like a real person and not a caricature of a New York Italian, gives the best performance.

So much swearing for a movie that I taped off of Turner Classic Movies in the wee hours of the morning! Nothing against swearing but I can't believe I taped it off of Turner Classic Movies! There's a hilariously over the top scene with Tony Lo Bianco's wife and their younger son...I just sat there with my mouth open. My hat's off to the actors but maybe the director should have reigned them all in a little, it comes off a little too hysterical...or maybe that's just how it is in Italian households? That's just my opinion but check it out for yourself. If nothing else, you'll laugh inappropriately like I did.

I was entertained throughout though, every scene is special in that it could be it's own short film. I felt like they were adapting the book chapter by chapter. If you like this time period and the movies from then, you will want to see it.

Kim Milford, the greatest actor of the latter half of the 20th century, and all around American icon turns in the most under rated performance of his career. Milford, star of the classic Sci Fi film "LASERBLAST" is not held down by the weaknesses of co-star Richard Gere. In fact, the brilliance of Milford's artistry is elevated by the fact that no other actor in the film can match him.

This is an unfair criticism of Gere, since the only actor of Milford's caliber is the legendary Michael Tedesco, who's portrayal of such characters as Jellyroll and Tbob elevate him to the same level as Milford.

One must wonder how this film would have turned out if Milford was not cast. Milford, who would also be burdened with Mark Hammill in Corvette Summer has shown a long tradition of carrying films to greatness that would otherwise be destined for failure.