Movie Review: The Brothers Grimm

By Frank H. Woodward Aug 24, 2005, 13:13 GMT

Con artists, Jake and Will Grimm, travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and performing exorcisms. They are put to the test when they encounter a real magical situation that requires actual knowledge and courage. ...more

THE BROTHERS GRIMM is film maverick Terry Gilliam's first movie in 7 years (not counting the tragically unfinished Don Quixote project documented in LOST IN LA MANCHA).  Dare I say, the man seems a bit rusty...or could it have been the infamous clashes with indie maverick Harvey Weinstein that cost GRIMM its creative focus. 

It's not the habit of film critics to take the conditions behind the camera into account, but, in the case of BROTHERS GRIMM, it's hard not to.  This is a film by TERRY GILLIAM, the creative force born of Monty Python and responsible for some of cinema's most original flights of fancy (TIME BANDITS, BRAZIL, 12 MONKEYS to name a few).  BROTHERS GRIMM should be a walk in the park for him.

Wilhelm & Jacob Grimm (Matt Damon & Heath Ledger respectively) have a tidy racket going on.  Exploiting their knowledge of German folklore, the brothers stage magical curses only so they can save the day a'la 18th century  ghostbusters (all for a tidy sum).  Famous fakes include the Mill Witch (seen in the film's opening moments) and The Gingerbread House of Terror.

Jacob, however, is beginning to have problems with his life as a charlatan, especially since he actually believes in fairies and witches.  Wilhelm is also regretting the life of a scam artist especially when the brothers are arrested by  Napoleonic general Delatombe (Jonathan Pryce) and his Italian henchman, Cavaldi (Peter Stormare).

It seems that young maidens are disappearing in what appears to be an actual enchanted forest.  Delatombe forces the Grimms to investigate the disturbances and quell the suspicious villagers before they become an unruly mob. Is someone pulling the Grimm's brand of tricks or is the stuff of legend all too real? 

Many icons from the Grimm Fairy Tales are reworked to suit Wilhelm & Jacob's apocryphal adventures, from Hansel & Gretel to the Big Bad Wolf.  Rapunzel coupled with Sleeping Beauty is one of the wittiest tweaks (and not so far away from the original tales if you know your Grimm).  It's a sign that Gilliam hasn't lost his touch for whimsical humor.  There are also many Pythonesque gags (an excessive rabbit skinning scene, Spanish Inquisition worthy torture chambers) and dark fantasy moments (a horse spinning webs from its mouth so it can snag and swallow a child whole, trees creeping on their roots like spiders).  All these elements feel right at home in a Grimm's Fairy Tales as told by Mr. Gilliam.

So why doesn't THE BROTHERS GRIMM work better?

Technically, the film is stellar.  No Gilliam film has ever suffered from flimsy production design. BROTHERS GRIMM sports fractured fairy tale settings that are rich in detail and dirty in texture.  History and fantasy are blended together seamlessly thanks to director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel (not Gilliam's original cameraman -- more on that in a
moment), production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas and costumer Gabriella Pescucci.

Monica Bellucci as Queen Mirror.

Ehren Kruger's (THE RING) script does have some nice pagan / Christian invader overtones, but these are never fully explored either (something I can't believe the historically minded Gilliam would let slip by - I'm looking at you, Mr. Weinstein). 

Characters also feel like victims of the film splicer (or AVID bay for you 21st century people).  The strained relationship between the brothers is barely given time to breathe before they are whisked away by the major set pieces.  This proves problematic in the climax when the brothers risk their lives for each other and we're not entirely sure what those lives are
worth.

Fortunately, the performances are mostly strong. Peter Stormare is exceptionally unhinged as the Italian villain who becomes a believer.  Ledger, once Jacob thrills at living the stories he always knew were real, brings the film  much needed life.  Lena Headey's Angelika may be a little too serious compared to the caricatures around her, but her Jacqueline Bisset-like beauty coupled with Monica Belluci's enchantments as The Mirror Queen make for some lovely viewing. 

Only Damon seems without a firm grip on how to portray Wilhelm, though he hangs in there like a trooper.  Maybe his lack of focus was due to what was happening on the set.  It has been reported that Damon found himself torn between his director and his GOOD WILL HUNTING godfather.

This brings me to the production clashes between Gilliam and Weinstein.  Gilliam had to fight for his choice of leading lady, cinematographer and even a prosthetic nose.  Some fights he won, some he lost. It's impossible to tell from THE BROTHERS GRIMM if Terry was right or Harvey was wrong, but it is quite  clear that Gilliam withdrew his influence on the film.  In fact, this is the least Gilliam-like of all his work.  He merely seems like a director for hire here.

Perhaps this is why we haven't heard as much from Gilliam about THE BROTHERS GRIMM.  Surely not as much as his upcoming TIDELAND, which promises to be a true return to form for the director.  If there is a Terry Gilliam movie in THE BROTHERS GRIMM, a special edition may be the only way we may get to see it.