Brotherhood (2011)

54% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(1,243 ratings)

College freshman Adam Buckley sits blindfolded in the back of a van outside of a convenience store as the final step of his initiation into the Sigma Zeta Chi fraternity. Minutes later he finds himself dealing with the fact that a fellow-pledge just got shot while doing it. Frank, the senior… More College freshman Adam Buckley sits blindfolded in the back of a van outside of a convenience store as the final step of his initiation into the Sigma Zeta Chi fraternity. Minutes later he finds himself dealing with the fact that a fellow-pledge just got shot while doing it. Frank, the senior fraternity brother in charge of the night's events, is able to get the injured pledge out of the store alive, but the fraternity's troubles are just beginning. Thinking they can get out of the situation without taking the pledge to a hospital, Frank decides the group will handle things themselves. But when every move is met with disaster, Adam must find it within himself to go against Frank and his new brothers in order to save his friend's life. -- (C) Phase 4

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Will Canon
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Feb 18, 2011 Limited
On DVD: May 17, 2011
Studio: Phase 4 Films

Critic Reviews

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
The gathering implausibility is dispelled by a nice ending twist.
Joe Leydon, Variety
Ingeniously constructed and propulsively paced.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
"Brotherhood" isn't badly acted or without some skillfully tense moments, but it doesn't have much in the way of entertainment value either.
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Viewers get paddled into submission in this strident frat-house thriller.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a passable thriller [that is] disappointingly uninvolving for the duration of its refreshingly brief running time.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Brotherhood has its faults -- the plot unravels a fair bit -- but the Tarantino homage is reasonable and the nightmarish atmosphere well maintained, with bizarre black-comic jolts.
Peter Martin, Cinematical
Like its characters, Brotherhood is not a perfect film, but it's a highly effective, jolting and dark ride that plays especially well with an audience.
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, Ebert Presents At The Movies
Lean and satisfying.
Stephen Rebello, Playboy Online
Here's a tough, twisty, relentlessly paced little indie in which a college frat hazing looks pretty much like a gang initiation.
Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly
Leanly scripted, directed for maximum tension, fast-moving and filled with a surprising amount of droll humor.
Michelle Orange, Movieline
As aggressively unpleasant as the movie often is to watch, the quality of Brotherhood's badness throws the viewer clear, marking it as spectacle -- one notch below ordeal
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
The obvious motif of victory and power becomes the steroids to Brotherhood's raging physicality.
Mark Keizer, Boxoffice Magazine
Brotherhood moves fast, but it can't outrun its superficiality.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Just a variant on the old chestnut about a fraternity initiation gone terribly wrong...but told so tautly that you're swept up in it nevertheless.
Geoff Berkshire, Metromix.com
The film's self-conscious brand of imitation Tarantino was already stale over a decade ago. It's no better now.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Doesn't make much of an impression past a few visceral flashes of conflict, with the majority of the film a frustrating sit that seems to drag on far longer than its 70-minute-long running time.
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
We can't say enough great things about this terrific debut and how well it plays even on repeat viewings when you know where things are going.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

J P

I thought it was pretty good. It was so damn fast though. The pacing was lightning quick. I barely knew any of the characters and already people were getting beat up and shot. None of the characters were developed at all. The action was nice, and it had its suspenseful moments. I… More
I thought it was pretty good. It was so damn fast though. The pacing was lightning quick. I barely knew any of the characters and already people were getting beat up and shot. None of the characters were developed at all. The action was nice, and it had its suspenseful moments. I would've liked the pacing to slow down though. The things that happened were so outrageously unbelievable, I needed some time to catch up. Fifty things were going on at the same time, it was hard to keep up. Other than the craziness, it was a pretty decent film. It was really short though; I wasn't expecting that.
Cynthia S

A very well done film that kind of went too far, I think. The problem with this movie is that most of the characters are incredibly stupid, and annoying to the point that I was actually getting tired of the whole thing after the first hour. A chain reaction of one terribly bad… More
A very well done film that kind of went too far, I think. The problem with this movie is that most of the characters are incredibly stupid, and annoying to the point that I was actually getting tired of the whole thing after the first hour. A chain reaction of one terribly bad decision after another was the whole premise of this film. I wish that they would have cut out a couple of those bad decisions a little earlier than they did. Know when to call it quit guys. Geez!
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Trevor Morgan, Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci, Arlen Escarpeta, Jesse Steccato, Jennifer Sipes, Luke Sexton, Chad Halbrook, Preston Vanderslice, Tyler Corie Director: Will Canon Summary: Adam Buckley, a young collegiate whose last night of pledging for a fraternity takes… More
Cast: Trevor Morgan, Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci, Arlen Escarpeta, Jesse Steccato, Jennifer Sipes, Luke Sexton, Chad Halbrook, Preston Vanderslice, Tyler Corie Director: Will Canon Summary: Adam Buckley, a young collegiate whose last night of pledging for a fraternity takes an ominous turn. When he's ordered to hold up a convenience store as part of his initiation, Adam complies, but after everything goes wrong, he must find the courage to help a friend. My Thoughts: "A much better film then I had anticipated. This is a good example of how easily these types of pranks can go wrong and just how stupid they are. The movie is fast paced, which leaves no time to be bored. The movie keeps you in suspense to what will happen next. There are a few twists which keeps it more interesting. The hazing goes a little far in the film and of course it also happens in real life in these fraternity houses. But this film shows you just how bad it can get in just one night. Definitely worth seeing."
Kristijonas F

This movie starts off with a frustrating - although interesting - premise. What makes it fall apart, however, are the ridiculously idiotic plot decisions the characters make. Come on, NO ONE is this stupid.
Jeffrey M

Yes its an implausible story, but its so fast paced you don't have time to dwell on it, and instead focus more on the intense bursts of action and well-timed twists. A fun thriller.
Sam E

Exciting and full of plenty of twists and turns, Brotherhood is a solid hazing-gone-wrong story.
Henrik S

A super-fast pace, no holds barred film about an university prank gone bad. This deadly serious and enjoyable film is a b-movie that makes lots of beginner's mistakes but its raw passion makes up for it. One thing I liked about this is that the film does not try to be anything… More
A super-fast pace, no holds barred film about an university prank gone bad. This deadly serious and enjoyable film is a b-movie that makes lots of beginner's mistakes but its raw passion makes up for it. One thing I liked about this is that the film does not try to be anything else than it sets out to be, no forced coolness (as in Guy Ritchie) or unrealistic sex and action scenes but utter and crazy mayhem. The 'story' is simple and it works well because as ludicrous as the film is in parts, the structure carefully unleashes the happenings through a steady downward spiral. Even when you find your way halfway through the film and think, what the heck is going on and what is happening here, the film took you there and does not let go. One criticism, apart from a few bad casting choices, but hey, it is a proper indie film (and I am not taking Michael Cena, Jonah Hill pseudo Indie) is that nothing random happens in the film. You might ask why this matters to me but it does, because I would not mind things going bonkers when at least some of it is accredited to circumstance or sheer bad luck but all that goes wrong here happens due to decisions that are made by the characters. And as much as enjoy the chaos into which the characters throw themselves, I lost some of my emotional connection with them because they became too comical (as in unrealistic) Still, a tight and focused production with a nice twist in the end that does not come out of leftfield at all and while it is not a great film, I am impressed by the effort and raw passion that comes with it.