The Brothers Grimm film review

certificate_12A

THE BROTHERS GRIMM

Putting Terry Gilliam, a director renowned for his fantastical vision, in charge of a story about the Brothers Grimm, siblings known for their wondrous fairy tales, would appear a perfect match. The disjointed result however disproves that assessment. Gilliam is inclined, indeed seems propelled, to go as far as his imagination and budget will allow. His imagination, as he's proved with such works as Brazil and The Fisher King, is all but limitless, but when given the biggest budget of his career to indulge it, Gilliam has a tendency to let the spectacle swamp the story.

"I believe fairy tales were always meant to be a little dangerous and disturbing, to stir things up," expressed the director. Produced by Dimension Films, who are best known as purveyors of horror, The Brothers Grimm certainly plays up the darker, more macabre aspects of the brothers' fairy tales, including as it does elements of Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel and Rapunzel. Ehren Kruger's script is not a true account of Jacob and Will's life, but instead involves the brothers in a mythical tale worthy of one their own fairy stories.

A child-eating horse, 500 year-old Mirror Queen and walking trees are just some of the strange beings the brothers encounter in their quest to resolve a mystery that haunts a German village. Matt Damon plays the charming more pragmatic brother Will, while Heath Ledger is the romantic dreamer Jacob. The pair have made a living and reputation traveling the countryside and ridding villages of their demons, but their elaborately staged cons catch up with them when a ruling French governor General Delatombe (Jonathan Pryce) gives them the task of finding the missing children of Marbaden.

Like typical brothers, Will and Jacob squabble and bicker, but at heart love each other. As played by Damon and Ledger, they are like a comedy double act. Despite its creepy tone, The Brothers Grimm has moments of humour, often provided by the villainous buffoon Cavaldi (Peter Stormare). Inevitably in a fairy story, there is romance. Here though it's a problem as both brothers take a shine to local tracker Angelicka (Lena Headey) whose sisters are among the missing children.