Basically the movie is about a bunch of military dudes who are supposed to be sitting around having fun, but for some reason, everything goes sour, there are bad guys and everyone's pretty much fighting for their lives. For Captain Jordan (Kiefer Sutherland) and his team, the trip to Mexico for a marriage is an ideal opportunity to avoid breaking the strict rules that govern the United States Marines, only for the festivities to turn into a nightmare when a violent cartel invades and leaves devastation in its wake.. This is a desperate struggle to keep the survivors alive and to escape.
The movie gets a good start, I have to say.
The scenes of the wedding is not bad for making you feel as if these soldiers are more than just guys with guns. They're friends. They're brothers. They feel like they've been fighting together, they've been laughing together, and they've been developing a friendship over time and for this reason, when misfortune occurs, it has a certain emotional impact.
I honestly don't think this isn't one kiefer's finest performances, he definitely gives this character some serious stuff going on. He portrays Jordan Wright as someone with a lot of experience in his past, who understands that anything can go wrong at any time, but feels responsible for all lives in his charge. He's not an action super-hero. He's trying to get his people home. The part was believable.
Don't come in with high expectations of a blockbuster or polished choreography like a John Wick film. This is much more down-to-earth than that. The shoot-outs are simple, the pressure is on being outnumbered, and at times, it feels like no one is safe. I found that a really good thing. The excessive number of action movies make their heroes feel invincibles but People get hurt here.. mistakes have repercussions and survival is never assured.
However there are definitely flaws in the film and the most cumbersome one for me is that it is not really memorable.
When I was watching it, I was sufficiently interested. However, once it had finished I didn't remember most scenes. No dramatic scene of note. No moment nobody will ever forget. No bad guy that made me think, "Wow, that guy was so scary.
The cartel members are primarily perceived as 'bad guys' and as a result there is not an emotional high or an emotional low. I was hoping to see the plot go somewhere with the characters or to surprise me at the end, but the story remains pretty safe.
Also, I believe that the pacing is a bit disjointed. The film drags for a while at points and looks like it is going to be something bigger, but it never really delivers on that. Not boring per se, but there were certainly moments where I was checking the remaining time.
I enjoyed the atmosphere, however, one thing that I did not enjoy was the attitude. The setting places a spin on the typical military action thriller. The setting is good, and at times the film does establish a real sense of isolation and danger. These guys feel like they're in a never-ending nightmare and that tension is effective when the movie is about it.
The thing that really blew my mind, was the fact that despite all the shooting and fighting, the movie is really about loyalty. They are NOT heroes who are saving the world. They're soldiers trying to protect each other. The bond of the men at the heart of the story is the strongest part of the story, and Brothers Under Fire really rings true as soon as you understand that.
I just hope that they would have done a little more with those relationships in the movie.
I didn't dislike this film, but I also didn't like it. It's one of those movies that can be watched while looking for action, tension and familiar face. It does the work, but doesn't transcend being "pretty decent.
I'll most likely not recall most of this a week from now. But, during the hour and fourty minutes I got to spend with it, I was entertained enough
[All Images ar Screenshots from My video player]
Rating: 60/100