Brotherhood is a crime film directed by Noel Clarke. The plot serves as a continuation of the previous films Kidulthood and Adulthood serving to be the final film in the series. The plot sees Sam (Clarke), brough back into the game for one final showdown after his brother gets shot.
So this film pushed things a bit too far, by that I mean the running theme throughout this series is how bad this life is serving to discourage people who want to pursuit this kind of lifestyle, however this film glorifies a life of crime and undermines the whole series.
Moreover, this film moves fully away from the drama genre and tries hard to become an action film, which it does well, but it just shows how far this film has moved away from its roots. Personally, I enjoyed the gritty violence and one-upmanship in this film, it reminded me of great 00s crime films like The Business which is a pro for sure.
Likewise, I thought the ending of the film felt satisfying both as an ending to this film and as an ending to the series as a whole: it felt very much like Sam’s Character arc from the first film had gone full circle in a very real and believable way which was nice to see.
A final note about this film is that I felt the level of nudity in it felt too much at times, maybe even slightly exploitative. Clarke really does distract from the good points and clever writing of this film by having naked women constantly on-screen to keep the attention of every teenage boy in the audience, and honestly it really does cheapen the film.
Overall, a flawed but fitting end to the series.
Pros.
The ending
Closing the arc
The gritty violence
Clarke
Cons.
It glorifies while seeking to dissuade
The nudity
3.5/5
Reviewed by Luke
Another Millennial Reviewer 