Product Details

• Actors: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce
• Directors: Kathryn Bigelow
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Summit Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 12, 2010
• Run Time: 131 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (640 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00275EGWY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,344 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #53 in Movies & TV > DVD > Military & War
• Learn more about "The Hurt Locker" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Review

I've been waiting for this film since the early days of the war in Iraq. "Brothers at War" is an honest, on-the-ground documentary about the lives of Americans fighting there. It has no spin. It's not left or right. I don't recall if it even mentions President Bush. It's not pro or anti-war, although obviously the two brothers fighting there support it. It is simply about men and women.

The film is about the men in the Rademacher family from Downstate Decatur. Jake, the oldest, always planned to go into the military, but didn't make it into West Point and found himself as an actor. Isaac, the next, graduated top of his class at West Point and married his classmate Jenny. Joe, next in line, enlisted and was top of his class at Army Ranger school. The brothers were very close growing up, but Jake sensed a distance growing as they came home on leave. He felt he could never know their experience.

What Jake decided to do was visit them in Iraq and film a documentary of them at work -- easier, because Sgt. Joe was assigned to Capt. Isaac's unit. This sounds simple enough, but it involved investment, logistical problems and danger under fire. The result is a film that benefits from an inside view, as Jake is attached to Isaac's group and follows them for extended periods under fire in the Sunni Triangle and on patrol on the Syrian border. It is clear that the brothers are expert soldiers.

But this is not a war film. It is a life film, and its scenes filmed at home are no less powerful than those filmed in Iraq. Jenny Rademacher served in Kuwait and elsewhere, then has their child. Isaac is deployed to Iraq soon after, and when he returns home, it's to a daughter who has never met him. Jake films the homecomings and departures of both brothers, attends family gatherings and watches Isaac as he trains troops of the Iraqi army. The filmmakers are often under fire, and a man is killed on one mission by a roadside bomb.

Jake's access gives him access to many moments of the kind you never see on the news. Nicknamed "Hollywood" and such an accustomed daily sight that soldiers are not self-conscious around his camera, he listens in on small talk, shop talk and gab sessions. He watches during meals. He walks along on a door-to-door operation. He looks at houses and roadsides in a way that recognizes they may harbor his death. He gives us a stark idea of the heat, the dust, the desolate landscape.

I've reviewed many documentaries about Iraq. All of them have been anti-war. "Why don't you ever review a pro-war documentary?" readers have asked me. The answer is simple: There haven't been any. There still aren't, because no one in this film argues in favor of the war -- or against it, either. What you hear is guarded optimism, pride in the work, loyalty to the service. This is deep patriotism. It involves risking your life for your country out of a sense of duty.

Every time he saw Isaac or Joe deployed, Jake says, he wondered if he would ever see them again. In filming his documentary, he feels he has walked a little way in their shoes. As is often the case among men, the brothers leave these things unspoken. But now Jake sees their war as more of a reality and less of an abstraction. He invites his audience to do the same. --by Roger Ebert

Product Description

An intimate portrait of modern heroism and the importance of family during turbulent times, Brothers at War tells the story of Jake Rademacher as he sets out to understand the experience, sacrifice, and motivation of his two brothers serving in Iraq. The film follows Jake s exploits as he risks everything including his life to tell his brothers story and document the courage and integrity of the American soldier.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 84 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's make a realistic movie about real life and see how many people watch it? June 26, 2012

By Steven S

Format:Blu-ray

Normally I feel this would be irrelevant but in this case I should point out I am a veteran. I should also point out many people tend to exaggerate their combat expertise and experience and just because you wore a uniform doesn't make you an expert on all things military. As I read these reviews I can't help but laugh. Sure, some movies tend to go way over the top in regards to what's realistic or even plausible but there is one caveat that all of the people who are lambasting the movie based on realism are failing to grasp. Realism doesn't sell; if I were to make a movie about the average day for an average soldier no one would watch it. So you say, what about these documentaries that do well financially following soldiers in war zones? Have you ever met anyone who ever acted one hundred percent natural and themselves when they know they are being filmed? I watched this movie and I think it was a very good, entertaining movie and that's what movies are supposed to do, ENTERTAIN. The difference between myself and some of the negative reviewers is that I'm not naive enough to watch a movie and think it is fact or that writers/directors don't take MASSIVE liberties with situations or their realistic nature; even "based on a true story" movies do this because if they were 100% fact and no fiction no one would watch because again, they would be very boring. I am smart enough to separate reality from Hollywood movie making and I don't need personal experiences to do this. For those of us that know Hollywood doesn't make realistic movies and don't think this is supposed to be a real life documentary (hello, it never billed itself as such) then I think they will thoroughly enjoy this movie. Of course if it's important for you to point out "they weren't wearing the right uniforms" then obviously you take life way, way, way too seriously to every enjoy a great movie and in that case should skip this one.

80 of 100 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Another Iraq war Vet with the same complaints November 1, 2010

By Bryan

Format:Blu-ray

First off, I'm a captain in the US Army and I've done two deployments in Iraq. I won't beat a dead horse, it's been said enough by my fellow vets so I'll keep it as simple as possible.

What this movie gets right:
-The look and "feel" of Iraq

What this movie gets wrong:
-Numerous technical issues, uniforms, equipment

What this movie gets UNFORGIVABLY wrong:
-The portrayal of Soldiers as undisciplined cowboys
-one vehicle convoys
-white light flash lights in the dark (essentially walking around with a bullseye on you)
-splitting up to cover more ground (a.k.a. suicide)
-sneaking off the FOB alone (just ask the Soldier being held by the taliban what a great idea this is, seriously what was he thinking?)
-EOD doesn't disarm IEDs unless they have to, 99% are detonated in place usually by remote controlled robot, not a guy in a bomb suit

If you are a civilian and want to see a decent portrayal of what Baghdad looks like (the scenery and Iraqis I mean)then watch the movie, if you've been there I wouldn't waste your time with this movie. I thought HBO's mini series Generation KillGeneration Kill was much better, the Marines in Generation Kill weren't just a bunch of, as one reviewer said Hollwood cliches.

I apologize, this wasn't as short as I'd hoped, bottom line... watching this I felt somewhat honored by the film makers attempt to share the experience of a Soldier in Iraq, but at the same time insulted and angry at just how wrong and Hollywood-ized so much of it was.

44 of 57 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, far fetched, and a tad aggravating January 12, 2010

By Mike Edelstein

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wanted to like this movie...I really, really did. I had seen and read alot of hype for it, rave reviews, and alot of talk of Oscars. After watching it however, I can't see why.

There have been alot of war movies over the years, but there has yet to be anything worthwhile watching for Iraq. This is not Platoon, the Dirty Dozen, the Battle of the Bulge, it isn't even Inglorious Basterds. True, other Iraq fair has fallen flat or just plain sucked. This wasn't as bad (Over There) and didn't have an idiotic and misguided political statement (Redacted...Marc Cuban burn in hell) but it wasn't all that good.

There's the typical military irregularities, such as uniforms (US flags are worn on the right shoulder of soldiers but in the movie they're either on both or none), equipment (magazines disappear and reappear between scenes, and the 6 wheeled APC used by US soldiers is in fact an APC used by the South Africans, not Americans) and overall impossible situations (a single vehicle by itself? REALLY?). These SERIOUSLY detract from the movie, so anyone not familiar with anything military get a somewhat twisted inaccurate view of operations in country.

The storyline overall really has no point, as all it is are daily missions, almost vignettes, of the EOD team's daily ops.

The last 15 minutes is the only thing that saves this movie and gives it a star. the acting, emotion and theme (I won't spoil it) would've made this an AMAZING movie, had it been a constant throughout. Sure, there's small snippets of emotion and feeling, but at times too brief to really feel it.

Yes, I can see this movie receiving some nominations, such as best actor for Jeremy Renner, but to win it I think is a bit much. As an active duty soldier with over 8 years service and 2 deployments, this movie just seemed lackluster and some of the situations too far fetched to really appreciate the movie, although it wasn't the total crapfest of other movies (Home of the Brave)