The Brothers Bloom comes from the mind of Rian Johnson, the writer-director who introduced us to the world of high school film noir with the acclaimed detective story, Brick. This time round, Johnson has clad some more experienced name stars to his utility belt with Rachel Weisz as Penelope and Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo as The Bloom Brothers. The film is made up of many genres, ranging from off-beat romantic comedy through the rungs to fantastic adventure and then down again to family dramedy. It’s an entertaining film that panders to the art house audience, but moves with a similar energy to French sensation, Amelie - making it accessible to most film goers. The contrasting colours, international locales and quirky dress sense keep the eye interested, as a story about two con men is told in the tradition of Tim Burton’s Big Fish without feeling too Hollywood.
Adrien Brody (the guy from Darjeeling Limited) delivers yet another soulful performance as Bloom, the more impressionable of the two brothers. He thrives in the role with a slightly melancholic mood, tempered by romantic aspirations. His brother Stephen, played by Mark Ruffalo (the guy from Blindness), is more cavalier in his outlook on life. Ruffalo gives Stephen a harder edge with a stubborn obsession to achieve the title of “best con men in history”. The magic show and clowning about is all a ploy to rope in unsuspecting millionaires to con them out of their wealth in what is remembered as a moment of blinding clarity and self-redemption. The rich get their slice of life experience and the Bloom brothers get their slice of pie. It seems like a worthy trade and the lengths to which the Blooms achieve these masterful feats makes the trade-off almost seem fair. This is until the luscious and mysterious Rachel Weisz (remember The Fountain) enters the fray. She’s a loner, whose childhood “illness” trapped her at home in a “bubble of solitude” akin to John Travolta’s role as The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Her isolation helped her foster and even master hobby talents, making her an innocent yet eccentric target for the Bloom’s final sting. Other key performances include: Rinko Kikuchi as the animated Bang Bang, Robbie Coltrane as the seedy Curator and Maximilian Schell as the Bloom’s scheming nemesis, Diamond Dog.

Johnson creates an altered reality, which recalls the performance street arts and confidence crime from the Victorian era with a hint of old world fashion. The bright colours add to the rainbow of genres and the cinematography is plain-sailing in a fantasy world with the odd reality twist of A Christmas Carol similar to Big Fish. The twists-and-turns make The Brothers Bloom entertaining with light humour, quirky scenarios and plenty of adventurous globe-trotting. The film bristles with energy and emotional intensity as one brother is pitted against another, and the road show is put in jeopardy as Bloom (Brody) reaches for an “unscripted” life. The fun, fantasy and adventure masks the true feelings bubbling under much like Everything is Illuminated and it’s surprising to discover how much emotion you’ve invested in the story towards the grand finale. However, the story lacks any sense of imminent danger, which could have been expressed more intermittently through the Diamond Dog’s pursuit. Will their final con be one to immortalize them or will the truth set them free? Johnson’s film is intriguing and combines fine performances and imaginative scenarios to construct a wonderful artistic piece of entertainment.

The bottom line: Eclectic.