Starring:
Fiona C. Erickson as MaryRose Cafee
Karl Bury as Alex Byrne
Jason Isaacs as Michael Caffee
Jason Clarke as Tommy Caffee
Annabeth Gish as Eileen Caffee
Fionnula Flanagan as Rose Caffee
Billy Smith as Moe Riley
Damien Di Paola as Rep. Paul Carvalho
Special Features:
Commentary by: Creator/executive producer/writer Blake Masters and executive producer/writer Henry Bromell (“Episode 9”)
11 episodes from the 2006 season on three discs
Power Map: An interactive, graphical guide of the relationships and power struggles among the characters
Cast biographies
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
English DTS 5.1 Surround
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Spanish Mono Sound
Running Time: 583 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Welcome to “The Hill,” an Irish working-class neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island – a place where mothers choose favorites, wives keep secrets, and friends are won and lost by the deals that they make. And while Tommy Caffee pursues ambitions as a rising star in politics, Michael Caffee seeks power the only way he knows how – within the gritty underworld of violence and crime.”
“Brotherhood” is not rated but it features language, nudity, and violence.
Mini-Review:
I can barely stand politics in real life, so “Brotherhood” didn’t have much chance of winning me over. The story is half political drama, half crime drama. Part of the time you have Jason Clarke as Tommy Caffee wheeling and dealing in Rhode Island. It’s very reminiscent of the Kennedys. The rest of the time you have Jason Isaacs as Michael Caffee beating the crap out of people and establishing himself as a name in the city. This portion will remind you a lot of “The Sopranos.” To be honest, the crime portion of it was a lot more interesting.
The acting in the show is pretty good. Jason Isaacs lays on a convincing New England accent that covers up his British roots. Jason Clarke, who looks like Matthew Perry’s older brother, leads the cast well as the sometimes honest / sometimes corrupt politician. Annabeth Gish is, well, nude a lot as Eileen Caffee.
While “Brotherhood” wasn’t for me, I’d recommend it to fans of “The Sopranos” or “The West Wing.” The mix of politics and crime drama should appeal to both sets of fans.
As for the DVD set, they skimped a lot on the bonus features. You’ll find commentary on just one of the episodes and none of the actors take part in it. There are also cast biographies and an interactive map showing the relationships between the characters. Overall, not that impressive.
