For starters, brothers is the official remake of the critically acclaimed American sports drama Warrior. The good thing is that the remake retains some of the key scenes from the original but fails to create the same impact. Like the one where Garson gets drunk and Monty puts him to sleep. The same scene in the original had great emotional value but same cannot be said over here. Brothers takes a 'beating' (pun intended) due to its languid pace. The first half indulges itself into establishing the characters and their back story. It could've been well short by 20 minutes. Director Karan Malhotra does a good job with the back story. The first half also includes a meaningless item number which is only there to show that there can be a sequel to Chikni Chameli too.
The films picks up pace in the second half when the championship starts. The fights are well choreographed and chances are that you'll be clapping at some points while David is fighting. As far as the performances are concerned, Siddharth Malhotra does not quite sport the physique Tom Hardy had and also fails to express that vexation. He does do well in a few scenes. Jackie Shroff is good in his role but again nowhere close to Nick Nolte's nuanced performance which earned him an Oscar Nomination. His dialogues become inaudible sometimes, and his mannerism get repetitive. Jacqueline Fernandez is adequate in a de glam look and the supporting cast also is okay barring A very annoying Raj Zutshi. But the film rests on the shoulders of Akshay Kumar. The actor looks the part with a dashing salt pepper look and gives an excellently restrained performance. He owns the film. He exudes such warmth and helplessness in The final bout with his Brother. Although the final bout could've been better. A special mention for the background score for infusing life into the proceedings.
I'm going with 2 out of 5 for director Karan Malhotra's Brothers. The film lacks tear jerking moments and is a bit too long. Watch it for Akshay Kumar's sincere performance.
