The Brothers Grimm

Review by Colin Moore

Will Grimm flashes a well-kept smile at a desperate group of villagers. It's a near perfect set and makes you wonder... where can I get some of that 19th century dental work?

It seems out of place. But so do they, the Brothers Grimm (two m's).

They're con men, offering their demon-ridding skills to anyone superstitious enough to listen, which happens to be a good chunk of the day's German townships. Jake Grimm (Heath Ledger), the younger, is the story collector, lured from one adventure to the next by his attraction for the folk and fairy tale. Will (Matt Damon) is the mouthpiece, the salesman whose interest in fantasy stops at the town's coffers.

With two ugly-in-the-womb assistants and a magician's bag of tricks, they fake their way to money, minor celebrity, and chicks.

They're living the life.

That is, until the region's French rulers (led by Brazil's Jonathan Price and a scene swiping Peter Stormare) find themselves duped by a mysterious something or other with a penchant for stealing the girls of one ramshackle folk town, and requisition (force under threat of psychological impalement, torture, and death) the two brothers to catch the uncatchable, thereby restoring the peace. A "takes a thief to catch a thief" kind of thing.

Basic enough, except for two small things: 1) this town's fear is no lame duck; the curse they swear is responsible for the kidnappings is real, and 2) Terry Gilliam.

The first point gives the film a unique twist. It begins as an almost believable story about the brothers, leading us to believe there is no real magic in this world. Thirty minutes later, things get hairy. But the fairy tale within the film itself is nothing terribly new. A dying queen. The 12 sacrificial maidens needed to bring her back to flesh and blood. Wolves changing into men.

It's nothing you haven't read or had read to you before, though perhaps that's the point. This is a film that pays tribute to the kinds of stories Jacob and Wilhelm once collected. The original Brothers Grimm were German patriots of a kind, collecting and editing stories to preserve a rich literary history that for the most part, just sat on the lips.

All in all they collected over 200 tales and children's legends, though they weren't the cotton candy versions we were put to bed with. No, these were real bed-wetters. Damon and Ledger handle the brothers well enough (though beyond using their names it's hard to know what's left to authenticate in a full blown fantasy).

Nevertheless, they prove they can trade off the drama with any twisted moments of black comedy that Gilliam is famous for. We're introduced to the two when they're just children themselves, and witness an event that will shape each of them for years afterward. The boys' sister is dying, their mother bedridden.

While Will waits, Jake returns with the proceeds to a livestock sale. Ever the dreamer, Jake shows his brother a palm full of...magic beans. It's a painful memory for Jake throughout the film, though Will never lets up using it to rattle his brother's cage, bring him down to the real world when he gets too idealistic. It's not for shock, but it is effective.

Abandonment. Child terrorism. Victory over evil practically by manslaughter....okay, self defense. These are the themes of the genre, only this time Jake and Will are the innocents who carry their psychological after-effects into adulthood.

What makes this film worth sitting next to strangers in the dark to see is director Terry Gilliam. His handle on fantasy is a delightful mix of sadistic charm and visual splendor. If anyone knows grim...

Any of his films is proof enough. From Time Bandits to 12 Monkeys he's shown a talent for creating dark claustrophobic worlds ruled by impossibly structured bureaucracies and destinies that shape heroes at the expense of their sanity. Think Walmart on acid. The effect is pure Gilliam. It's a style that seems fitting for a Brother's Grimm adaptation.

For fans of the original tales, most of the staples are here in the film. Rapunzel. Hansel and Gretel. Cinderella. The Frog King. Gilliam gives us a bit of fun by incorporating various smidges (yes it's a word...my mum uses it) of the more well-known ones in the film, but only briefly.

His playful use of lenses, angles, and illusion also keeps things off balance. Things pop up and out. Crows stab the soundtrack out of nowhere. And between Mother Nature and the Ze French, the forces of darkness have a pretty impressive offense. Are the Brothers up to the challenge? Only if they can put their personal frictions aside.

Like any good fairy tale, conquering evil comes a distant second to getting your own shit together. Such is life.

3.5 out of 5

The Brothers Grimm
Australian release: Thursday the 24th of November, 2005.
Cast: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci, Jonathan Price, Lena Headey.
Director: Terry Gilliam.
Website: Click here.

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