Brother_Maynards_Brother

This is an example of excellent filmmaking. A truly captivating and satisfying drama - dark, adult situations portrayed in a manner that respects the viewer's intellect. This work arguably features Sissy Spacek's and Tom Wilkinson's (RIP) best work. They were masterful as the mid-50s, Ivy League-educated but emotionally unsynchronized couple no longer living peacefully in a quintessential coastal Maine town. Hearty praise for all involved in the creation of this film.

If you are looking for a pedestrian, time-passer drama that does not contain genuine tension and painful confrontations, please do avoid.

For all others, watch this.

Just finished watching this flick... Noted the very strong cast and 7.1 user rating so I dove in. As the flame-ridden, violently anarchic scene at the end of the film played out, one word entered my consciousness; overwrought. Said word describes the film well.

So many hideous characters populate the work; an eye rollingly excessive number, unfortunately. Character behaviors were unbelievable and/or cartoonish. It appears that Lillian Hellman tried her damnedest to out-Southern Gothic Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner, combined. Alas, what she generated lacked any T. W./W. F. magic. A base melodrama featuring far too many over-amplified deep south caricatures is what her effort turned out to be - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" this is not. Years after the release, Director Arthur Penn stated in an interview "Everything in that film was a letdown, and I'm sure every director has gone through the same experience at least once. It's a shame because it could have been a great film."

The most believable aspect of the script is the foul treatment of the African American characters by the majority of the white townsfolk - this obviously mirrored reality.

I am left frustrated, given the stellar cast and Ms. Hellman's otherwise noteworthy pedigree, but give it a try as you might have a positive perspective post-viewing.

Given my love for the film, I approached this series with skepticism. Trying to revive the role that Bogie just dominated (thus propelling the film to the Cinematic Mount Olympus (unlike the 1931 and 1936 versions)) and, in turn, propelled him to leading man stardom (damn good thing that George Raft turned down the role), seemed a highly dubious proposition.

The first episode was unnecessarily sluggish but I labored onwards, nonetheless. The tale and pacing improved in subsequent episodes but, even though he is a fine actor, I could not help but virtually overlay the image of Bogie upon Clive Owen - harmony was never achieved. This level of scrutiny was unfair to Monsieur Owen but my inner cinematic purist refused to slacken.

I kept watching, for the production itself was very good (actors, sets, clothing, cars, etc) and the story became more intricate.

And then came the finale, which I just finished viewing. The production suddenly became the equivalent of an old Citroen or Peugeot - the engine seized just before the finish line, leaving the viewers stranded. Such a cheap, ludicrous and buffoonish ending. A new character appeared just in the nick of time to shred any appreciation that the viewers had developed for the production up until that point. As my Dad used to say, "people don't speak like that in real life." A befuddling choice by the Writers/Director/Producers.

So obviously I would suggest avoiding this series. Go watch some "Poirot" episodes (David Suchet - magnifique!) instead. In case you haven't seen them, check out some of Bogie's second fiddle "heavy" roles he played in the 30's (e.g. "The Roaring Twenties" with Jimmy Cagney and "Bullets or Ballots" with Edward G. Robinson).