Parents' Guide to

Four Brothers

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

A rowdy, brutal revenge movie -- not for kids.

Movie R 2005 110 minutes
Four Brothers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 16+

Based on 2 parent reviews

darthsitkur
darthsitkur Adult
January 18, 2013
age 15+

Who doesn't love a good revenge flick?

I like this movie a lot, there's great performances, there's drama, there's humor, there's suspense, and plenty of intense action
jsharpe
jsharpe Parent of 11-year-old
October 17, 2009
age 16+
NOT OK

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When their adopted mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is killed, an accidental victim of apparent gang-related activity, her sons grow suspicious. Troublemaker Bobby (Mark Wahlberg); "pretty boy" Angel (Tyrese Gibson); family man Jeremiah (André Benjamin); and sensitive, pot-smoking wannabe rocker Jack (Garrett Hedlund) become intent on finding out the truth.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

FOUR BROTHERS is upfront about what it is: a rowdy, brutal revenge movie. The brothers' mission -- justice? revenge? havoc? -- leads to all kinds of mayhem, which a sympathetic Lt. Green (super smooth Terrence Howard) condones as "self-defense." Four Brothers practices the sort of chilling logic whereby the good guys' outrageousness looks "decent" compared to cruelty committed by the Head Villain, here Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the most depraved gangster this side of Jeffrey Wright's psycho killer in Shaft. This is how mean he is: when a fearful councilman (Barry Shabaka Henley) stops by Victor's home to report bad news, the host sends him to sit at the kids' table in the corner.

The shoot-outs are gargantuan, the car chases demented, and the snow storms actually rather arty. One car chase is especially ingenious, in its way, as it's not about the spectacular driving, but about blindness amid swirling snow. The brothers drive on, unable to stop. It's a useful metaphor for the film.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the film's mixed messages about violence: it's bad when "gangs" or thugs use it against citizens, but fine and even celebrated when deployed by the vengeful heroes. How do corrupt law and municipal officials, in league with the central villain, create a sense of pervasive dishonesty? How do women characters appear as stereotypical sexual or maternal figures? How does the film promote the brothers' bonding, at the expense of civil order or even hope for any justice aside from murdering the villains?

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