The Brothers Bloom

The Bloom brothers are dapper con men whose dark suits and bowler hats give this, the second feature from writer/director Rian Johnson, the same air of timelessness that made 'Brick' such a pleasure. Older brother Stephen has spent his lifetime roping his younger brother (addressed only as Bloom) into multiple cons. Stephen uses Bloom's puppy dog eyes to lure victims, largely in part because Bloom himself is never really sure where the hook will be. "Stephen writes his cons like dead, Russian novelists; with character arcs, and symbolism, and shit", he whines to a flapper-y babe throwing herself at him. "And he casts me as the vulnerable, anti-hero". Like just about any movie about any kind of career criminal, 'The Brothers Bloom' is about what is supposed to be that one last job. This comes in the form of Penelope Stamp, an under-socialized millionairess who spends her time mastering just about any musical instrument and juggling extravaganza. Trying to keep his feelings for her at bay, he charms her as a rare antiques dealer/smuggler and convinces her to join the brothers and their mute sidekick, Bang Bang. By boat, train, and car, they set out on a trek around the world for what is supposed to be the antique-smuggle of a lifetime.

Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody are wonderfully cast as Stephen and Bloom. What Ruffalo lacks for Stephen's gift of gab, he makes up in charm and comic timing. Brody's long-face and exhausted voice embody Bloom's lifetime as the puppet helplessly dancing at the command of his brother's fingers. As would-be con-target and love-interest to Bloom, Rachel Weisz is all Kate Winslet-circa-'Eternal Sunshine...' charm. She's adorable and quirky, but still gives off the demeanor of one who could master any hobby she puts her mind to (and possibly be the one doing the conning all along). Rinko Kikuchi's silent handy woman feels like a Japanese, pyromaniac Marlene Dietrich. She's all dangling cigarette and subtle gestures, with a Japanese character on the back of her neck which supposedly says, "When you've no use for something anymore, blow it up".

Kikuchi is one of many elements of the film's eye candy. We're taken everywhere from Montinegro, to Penelope's dream-like mansion in New Jersey, to Prague, to the sandy beaches of Mexico. Rian Johnson films all of this with a sense of wonder. He puts his actors right in the middle of the frame with something fantastic in the background. Like 'Brick', the dialouge is usually rapid-fire with an air of old-school film noir. The editing has a dancing rhythm to it. The film at times feels like something out of a vaudeville slideshow: big color, dizzying music, and firework-like explosions. The ghost of 'The Sting' often seems to be lurking over the film, complete with an ever-present deck of cards and the occasional train sequence. Johnson is shaping up to be one the most exciting and original American filmmakers today. He only has one failure in 'The Brothers Bloom', but it's one that hurts the film considerably. That would be the con itself. The film is BIG. Big locales, big costumes, big score. But the overall level of excitement that stems from the last big con lacks a sense of danger and a sense of real risk. It often feels like the story is just an excuse to take us from one wonderful setting to another. Frankly, that's fine by me. As Penelope says after being warned that their "smuggling" scheme isn't some adventure story, "Are you kidding? It totally is"!