Brotherhood

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.

Reminds me of one of the best real life crime novels I have ever read, The Brothers Bulger. As it is clearly the filmed version of the book, just a few changes on the surface and it is a thing of beauty on it's own version

I am late here, but I just started using my Amazon Prime account as Netflix and Hulu aren't currently doing it for me. This show was great. I have no idea why people keep comparing it to the Sopranos. The Sopranos dealt wit the family of a crime boss. that saw a shrink.

I loved every character and felt sorry for them all. they all seemed so trapped and tormented. I will never look at Providence, Rhode Island the same.

There was over the top violence, sure - but those things do happen. The only thing Im mad about is that this is a show no one knew about - and so it was canceled. However, the ending was wrapped up pretty neatly. Cool that it ended the way it did..At one point it did remind me of the godfather (1)...but in no way like the Sopranos.

Sopranos had humor. Brotherhood? anything you laughed at made you check yourself for being so enveloped in the darkness that you thought it was funny.. great show.

This is probably going to be the only review I write on this site, it is not something that I normally do, but this show truly deserves it. It is not only the greatest show never to have been watched, but on of the best shows of all time. It really did not get the marketing and the advertising it deserved. I came across it by accident flicking through the channels, and I do not know of anybody here in the UK that actually sat down and watched it, reason being, they did not know it even existed, it really is a shame.

This is right up there with the Sopranos and the Wire, no question about it. Is it a Sopranos rip off, well it does focus on gangster life as part of its main theme, and it is pretty violent, but that in no way shape or form makes you think that you are watching the Sopranos. I'm truly baffled at how some can call this show a Sopranos rip off. Two Irish American brothers with a love hate relationship, one the black sheep of the family, violent, borderline psycho, a small time gangster with visions of making it big, the other the complete opposite, a family man and a small time politician, very smart, sly, with visions of moving up higher in the political ranks. He initially believes he can achieve this, without dirtying his hands or his conscience, or stooping any where near the level of his law breaking, violent, no good brother. As the series progresses Tommy realises to his disgust, that as much as he may well despise his brother for what he does and who he is, there are elements of Michael within himself that he must use, if he truly wants to succeed in his quest to reach the top of the political ladder. Does that sound anything like the Sopranos to you?.

As well as personal and family issues, this show focuses on how the Irish gangster are trying to compete and co exist with the Italian mobsters who are slowly trying to force them out. This is not a Sopranos copy or clone, in anyway whatsoever, I am only guessing that this is the view of a bitter obsessive fan. The political aspects of the show are as riveting as the the darker, more violent gangster side, and each have you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. The political aspect is similar but not the same as the Wire, and the acting all round absolutely superb.There are some great characters, and also many great lines and many great moments, some very funny some very brutal, it is a show that you will never forget.

Shows like this are the reason I do not watch many so called serious dramas, there are very few that can reach this level of excellence. The third season is a bit rushed, and it feels this way when watching it. The reason for this apparently was because the writers were told that the third season was going to be the last, so they did the best they could, with the little time they had to end it. Anybody who likes gangster shows or even gritty well acted violent dramas should love this show, search it out, you will not be disappointed. Be prepared for that sick to the stomach feeling, you get when watching an excellent show that you are hooked on, that ends way before it should have. I also got that feeling with Rome, Deadwood, Intelligence (excellent Canadian drama) and also, although not in the same league as these shows, Line of Fire from 2003. I would have given it 10 out of 10, but did not because of the rushed feel of the third season, which was purely down to the writers being told they only had a short time in which to finish it.

Strong words, I know, but they're true; "Brotherhood" is the one most brilliant, well-written, intelligent shows you will ever see in your entire life. Sadly, it is also one of the most underrated shows you will ever see, so much so you'll spend hours pondering why. It's a show that SHOULD have been as big as "The Sopranos", as talked about and raved as much as "Breaking Bad" was, and followed as closely as "Sons of Anarchy" and other anti-hero shows were. But alas, it was not. Was it due to poor marketing? Charges of being a Sopranos rip-off? Who knows, but what I do know is the show was nowhere near being a carbon copy of "The Sopranos".

"Brotherhood" is a match up of politics and crime, centering around two Irish-American brothers in a Providence, Rhode Island neighborhood called The Hill. We have Tommy Caffee (Jason Clarke), the young, handsome state Rep. from the Hill, and his older brother, Michael (Jason Isaacs), the charming but underneath brutal gangster, who's just returned from a seven year exile after a mobster he had a beef with is murdered. Surrounding them is a mix of family, friends, and associates: Rose Caffee (Fionnula Flanagan), the strong-willed matriarch of the family who is the one who really pulls the strings behind the scenes; Eileen Caffee (Annabeth Gish), Tom's seemly devoted wife who harbors forbidden desires of her own; Mary Kate Martinson, Tom's sister who must bear with the shenanigans of her family as well as the pain of not being able to have children; Freddie Cork (Kevin Chapman), boss of the Irish Mob in Providence, who must balance his suspicion of Michael with Michael's ability to bring in a lot of money; Kath Perry (Tina Benko), Michael's old girlfriend and married mother; Declan "Decko" Griggs (Ethan Embry), a state police detective from the old neighborhood who finds that doing what is right and doing what is necessary isn't really the same thing, and a whole slew of gangsters, politicians, and characters who I don't have the space for.

As we follow the two brothers in the respective world, we begin to ask ourselves some troubling questions, such as who is more ruthless, the gangster in the street or the guy in elected office? Is there really much of a difference between the world of crime and politics or between the world of politics and crime? All of this is established through strong acting on the part of Jason Clarke and Jason Isaacs. Jason Clarke is masterful of playing Tommy Caffee, a man who seems to really want to help his district but also desires more power in the world of state politics. How much of his soul is willing to sacrifice to make that a reality and is there anyone or anything he won't sacrifice to make it happen? Then there's Jason Isaacs's portrayal of Michael, the gangster who's returned from exile who must deal with a changing neighborhood while trying to re-establish his power in the rackets. With his steel eyes and cold demeanor, Isaacs more than easily plays the gangster role to the hilt. Of course, none of this would be possible without the intelligent writing of show creator Blake Masters and his crew, who masterfully blend two seemly different worlds until we realize the awful truth; there are no differences between the two, with the final moments of the series finale showing more about the reality of politics than anything else I have ever seen. Despite its short life and somewhat rushed ending, "Brotherhood" is a must see show for those looking for good story-telling and intelligent writing. Whatever you do, don't let this gem of a show pass you by.