"Brothers" Review by Hollywoodreporter

"Neither version of "Brothers" is afraid to posit characters at such extremes as its two brothers. Sam Cahill (Maguire) is a straight-arrow Marine captain from a military family. He got good grades, played football, married his high school sweetheart, Grace (Portman), and is ready to deploy to Afghanistan on a fourth tour of duty. Younger brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal), just out of the slammer for bank robbery, is a drunk and a fool.When Sam is liberated and returns home, he is a changed man who doubts his manhood and moral integrity. To then discover that Tommy has not only become responsible but, to Sam, is clearly in love with his wife sends him into convulsions of rage and jealousy, to the point that he is a danger to himself and his family.Maguire is able to maintain an exterior not unlike his former self yet show you a shattered man inside. The forced smile he once used to referee between his dad and brother, who are always at odds with each other, now betrays the trauma he suffers.Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, never seems as desolate as he probably should be. He has a little too much charm and merely seems to be going through a bad patch. Similarly, Shepard needs more scenes to investigate fully his troubled character.Portman's Grace isn't in charge to the degree she might be as the new head of the household. This comes mostly from the writing, which makes her role largely reactive, but the actress glides through scenes too superficially, not leaving a distinct impression.Sheridan's behind-the-scenes team on this production, shot entirely in New Mexico, do fine work on what appears to be a modest budget". Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com