Rian Johnson turned heads and divided audiences with his debut feature Brick, a film that brought Raymond Chandler style to a modern American high school. Some saw it as original and fresh, while others found it all just a little bit too pleased with itself. I fell into the former camp but I’m sorry to report that Johnson’s new effort The Brothers Bloom doesn’t live up to that early promise.
Once again Johnson attempts to pull off a canny juxtaposition between old school styling and a modern day setting. This is a world that has karaoke, graffiti and Lamborghinis but a group of characters who travel by steamer, play shuffleboard and receive telegrams. Add to this the constant stream of cons and double crosses and the result is just plain confused.
The eponymous Brothers are Mark Ruffalo as Stephen (charismatic mastermind) and Adrien Brody as Bloom (navel-gazing side-kick). The pair specialise in pulling cons that, in theory, give everyone what they want, even the victims. When Bloom tires of the grifting lifestyle, he is drawn back for one last con thanks to the beguiling target, an eccentric heiress played by Rachel Weisz.
Unfortunately the whole endeavour is too beset with a quirkiness that grates rather than amuses. The use of scribbled captions, the occasional burst of Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens on an otherwise jazz-era soundtrack and the montage of Penelope’s unusual hobbies (all of which call to mind Wes Anderson) feel a little self-consciously post-modern.
Then we have the curious case of Adrien Brody who is becoming an increasingly blank screen presence. Brody has a face that is uniquely inexpressive so while the script describes Bloom as the “vulnerable antihero” Brody merely appears deathly bored. This seems to have rubbed off on Mark Ruffalo whose performance lacks the required spark.
Still, The Brothers Bloom is not completely without merit. The female half of the ensemble inject some energy into the proceedings. Rachel Weisz fights against all the odds to give us a heroine who is warmly charming, despite her myriad eccentricities. Rinko Kikuchi as explosives expert Bang Bang manages to be the most compelling presence on screen while hardly speaking a word. There is also an imaginative mix of modern cool and vintage elegance in the costume design.
Overall though, wasted talent and effort seems to be the order of the day for The Brothers Bloom. A shame.