Brotherhood (2010 Film)
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''Brotherhood'' is a 2010 American thriller film directed by Will Canon, co-written by Doug Simon and Canon, and starring
Jon Foster Jon Foster (born August 3, 1984) is an American actor. His films include the drama '' The Door in the Floor'' (2004), the horror film '' Stay Alive'' (2006), the thriller '' Brotherhood'' (2010), and the drama ''Rampart'' (2011). Foster is a co- ...
, Trevor Morgan,
Arlen Escarpeta Arlen Alexander Escarpeta (born April 9, 1981) is a Belizean-born American actor. He originally gained recognition for his main role as Samuel "Sam" Walker on the NBC television series ''American Dreams'' (2002–2005). In the mid-to-late 200 ...
, and
Lou Taylor Pucci Lou Taylor Pucci (born July 27, 1985) is an American actor who first appeared on film in Rebecca Miller's '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'' in 2002. Pucci had his breakthrough leading role in '' Thumbsucker'' (2005), for which he won a Spec ...
. It is about a fraternity initiation that goes horribly wrong. The film premiered at the 2010
SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both s ...
, where it won the festival's Audience Award.


Plot

Frank (
Jon Foster Jon Foster (born August 3, 1984) is an American actor. His films include the drama '' The Door in the Floor'' (2004), the horror film '' Stay Alive'' (2006), the thriller '' Brotherhood'' (2010), and the drama ''Rampart'' (2011). Foster is a co- ...
) is an active member of fictional
fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...
Sigma Zeta Chi, and hazes pledges for initiation by forcing them to believe they are going to rob convenience stores. Adam ( Trevor Morgan) and Kevin (
Lou Taylor Pucci Lou Taylor Pucci (born July 27, 1985) is an American actor who first appeared on film in Rebecca Miller's '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'' in 2002. Pucci had his breakthrough leading role in '' Thumbsucker'' (2005), for which he won a Spec ...
) are pledges who go with Frank to rob the stores. Before they enter the store, another active brother gives them the money and reveals it was a break designed to test their bravery. However, due to confusion over which stores to stop pledges, Kevin is not stopped and actually tries to rob the store; Kevin is shot in the shoulder as a result. Frank finds out of the mix-up and attempts to stop Kevin but is too late. With Adam's help, he subdues the store clerk, Mike (
Arlen Escarpeta Arlen Alexander Escarpeta (born April 9, 1981) is a Belizean-born American actor. He originally gained recognition for his main role as Samuel "Sam" Walker on the NBC television series ''American Dreams'' (2002–2005). In the mid-to-late 200 ...
), who is a high school friend of Adam. They return to the fraternity house and clear a party to take care of Kevin's wounds, but Frank orders Adam and Graham ( Luke Sexton) to go back to the store, recover the security tape, and check on Mike. When returning to the store, they find that the security camera does not work, but Mike is reluctant to tell the police a lie to cover their tracks. Scared by Mike's attitude, Adam and Graham kidnap him and take him back to the house. Frank refuses taking Kevin to the hospital, fearful that the police will learn about the night's actions, and instead calls Bean's ( Jesse Steccato) medical professor to take care of Kevin. Adam tries to blackmail Mike by secretly recording an elicited confession, but Mike stops talking once he discovers the recorder. Kevin's sister Emily ( Jennifer Sipes) appears and angrily threatens to call the police over an unrelated prank. As she leaves, she is involved in a car accident with Bean's professor, who suffers a concussion and is rendered unable to help Kevin. With time running out and Kevin losing blood, Frank orders Mike's
torturing Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions restrict torture to ac ...
to ensure his cooperation. At the same time, Officer Jennings (
Jeff Gibbs Jeffrey Gibbs (born August 4, 1980) is an American professional basketball player for the Koshigaya Alphas of the B.League. Gibbs played college basketball for Otterbein University and is a professional player since 2004. College career G ...
), who is a former member, discovers Kevin but decides to stay quiet. Adam becomes insistent in taking Kevin to the hospital and tells Frank he can get leverage on Mike after hearing money is missing from the store. Adam is able to get Mike to admit he stole the money, but Mike will only cooperate if they return the stolen money and clear his name. After a tense standoff with a nervous clerk, Adam and Frank succeed in returning the money, and Frank allows them to drop off Kevin in the hospital; they claim it is a hunting accident. Frank says the night is a victory but Adam sees otherwise and decides to leave the fraternity, angry at their arrogance and callousness. After Adam punches Frank, the other members catch Adam and begin to beat him harshly, as Frank claims that their brotherhood and loyalty helped them get out of trouble. Another fraternity member, Jackson ( Chad Halbrook), returns to the house and remembers that a pledge was locked into the trunk during the party; when they open the trunk, they discover the pledge has died from alcohol poisoning. Adam finally calls the police and tells them everything, which leads to the arrest of Frank and others.


Cast

*
Jon Foster Jon Foster (born August 3, 1984) is an American actor. His films include the drama '' The Door in the Floor'' (2004), the horror film '' Stay Alive'' (2006), the thriller '' Brotherhood'' (2010), and the drama ''Rampart'' (2011). Foster is a co- ...
as Frank * Trevor Morgan as Adam *
Lou Taylor Pucci Lou Taylor Pucci (born July 27, 1985) is an American actor who first appeared on film in Rebecca Miller's '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'' in 2002. Pucci had his breakthrough leading role in '' Thumbsucker'' (2005), for which he won a Spec ...
as Kevin *
Arlen Escarpeta Arlen Alexander Escarpeta (born April 9, 1981) is a Belizean-born American actor. He originally gained recognition for his main role as Samuel "Sam" Walker on the NBC television series ''American Dreams'' (2002–2005). In the mid-to-late 200 ...
as Mike *Jesse Steccato as Bean * Jennifer Sipes as Emily *Luke Sexton as Graham *Meyer deLeeuw as Collin *Jeff Gibbs as Officer Jennings


Production

''Brotherhood'' is the directorial debut film of Will Canon. It was based on his short film, ''Roslyn'', which in turn was inspired by stories told by a friend. Canon wanted to make a genre film in the style of
Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...
's
exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...
s of the 1970s. He cited his influences for
Joe Carnahan Joseph Aaron Carnahan (born May 9, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor whose films include '' Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane''; '' Narc''; '' Smokin' Aces''; ''The A-Team''; '' The Grey''; and '' Boss Level''. He ...
,
Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...
, and
Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...
.
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
,
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
, and
Richard Linklater Richard Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making films that deal thematically with suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. In 2015, Linklater was included on the annual ''Time'' 100 li ...
also served as references for his film. ''Brotherhood'' was shot entirely on location in Arlington, Texas. The fictional Sigma Zeta Chi fraternity house is the former
Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834, at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek-letter organization founded in North America ...
fraternity house on campus at the University of Texas at Arlington. Soon after filming was finished, the house was nearly destroyed in an electrical fire. The house has been fully renovated since then.


Release

The film premiered in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
on February 18, 2011, and in Los Angeles February 25. It also premiered in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2011. The film premiered in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, and was later released on straight-to-DVD in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
on March 11, 2011.


Reception

The
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website
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reported a 54% approval rating with an average rating of 5.1/10 based on 26 reviews. Nigel Floyd of ''
Time Out London ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...
'' rated it two out of five stars and criticized its lack of credibility, though he calls it "beautifully shot". Tim Robey of
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
also criticizes the film's credibility. Peter Bradshaw of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' rated it three out of five stars and stated that it is "entertaining in a nasty way." ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''s Joe Leydon favorably compared it to classic
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
and praised the film's uniqueness. Robert Abele of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' criticized the lack of likable characters and entertainment value, though he says there are some tense scenes. Writing for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Neil Genzlinger calls it a "fast moving thriller" and praises the pacing. Peter Martin of
Twitch Film ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
also praises the pacing, though he stated that "botched heist" films have become predictable.


Awards and nominations

The film won the Audience Awards at the 2010
SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both s ...
, 2010
Dallas International Film Festival The Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Dallas, Texas. The 2025 edition will be held April 25-May 1, 2025. DIFF 2024 was held April 25-May 1, 2024. DIFF 2023 was held April 28-May 5, 2023. Th ...
, and 2010
Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival The Sidewalk Film Festival is an annual film festival taking place during the last weekend in August in the Theatre District of Birmingham, Alabama, since 1999. The festival typically screens at seven venues located within downtown Birmingham, fea ...
. It also won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 New Hampshire Film Festival. At the 2010
Gotham Awards The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published on ...
, the film was nominated for the first Festival Genius Audience Award. ''The New York Times'' awarded it with a NYT Critics' Pick.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brotherhood 2010 films American thriller films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films about fraternities and sororities