MOVIE: The Brothers Grimm

Movie Reviewed by Blaise

Editor's Rating:  

(4 /10)

Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger

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Terry Gilliam is an intriguing filmmaker. From his early days with the Monty Pythons, to large-scale success with films such as 12 Monkeys, to enormous box office flops such as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Gilliam has ridden the Hollywood roller coaster close to the edge. His new film The Brothers Grimm should have been Gilliam’s return to widespread success.

Funded by Miramax brother’s Harvey and Bob Weinsten (producer’s of Sin City), and starring Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, Gilliam had every excuse to succeed. However, with many publicised disagreements with his producers, and a fading artistic vision, Gilliam’s new film is a mix-match of wonderful set pieces, and gaping narrative flaws.

The basic premise of the film is the exploits of the Grimm Brother’s as they travel through France trying to exorcise demons and bad spirits from small towns. However, their act is a hoax, as they set-up towns for their monetary satisfaction. Unfortunately, they happen upon a real-life demon when called to a small town near a magical forest. Much of the build-up in this film is very enjoyable, but the narrative does not flow in an even stream. Once in the forest, Gilliam patches together a vast array of the original Grimm fairy tales (including Rapunzel), however whilst these various set pieces are enjoyable, the over-arching structure of the film gets increasingly murky and confused.

The two leads (Damon and Ledger) are passably manic, and manage to hold together much of Gilliam’s various narrative streams. But the highlights of the film are provided by the excellent support cast, including Monica Bellucci (Matrix Reloaded) and frequent Gilliam collaborator Jonathon Pryce (Brazil).

Fairytales, and children’s folk tales are becoming extremely popular fodder in Hollywood (Narnia anyone??), and The Brother’s Grimm is certainly a wonderful mixture of fantasy and genuine adventure and intrigue. However, whether it is due to a battle for creative control, or an unclear narrative flow, Gilliam’s new film suffers from a lack of central direction. Whilst worth seeing for the re-enactment of many well known fairy tales, The Brothers Grimm will leave you feeling very unsatisfied and hoping that Gilliam’s next outing will live up to his impressive talents.