Apparently, when "The Brotherhood" debuted, critics disliked it and the film lost money as the public never embraced it. Now, more than 40 years later, the film has a completely mediocre IMDb score of 6.1. And, I am left to wonder why the film is so maligned. After all, I really liked the film and thought it was exceptionally well made and quite compelling. It's like I saw an entirely different film than the one everyone else saw...or I just have absolutely no taste.

"The Brotherhood" is a mobster film that is actually highly reminiscent of "The Godfather". Like Don Corleone from "The Godfather", Frank Ginetta (Kirk Douglas) is a bit of a dinosaur in the mob. While respected and powerful, he doesn't like the direction the organization is going and fights change--choosing instead to hold on to the old ways. The problem is that the longer he does this, the more he makes himself an impediment--one that might just be eliminated.

At the same time, Frank's brother, Vince (Alex Cord) joins the family business and does well. In fact, when Frank gets on the bad side of the other bosses, there is talk that Vince should perhaps take his older brother's place.

Into the mix comes another reason for the mob to take out Frank. It seems that one of the bosses (Luther Adler) had been responsible for the death of many mobsters many years ago--and Frank just discovered this. To make matters worse, this traitor also was responsible for the death of Frank and Vince's father! What happens next? See the film for its gritty finale.

All around, it's a very good film. Kirk Douglas was surprisingly convincing as a Sicilian-American. I have no idea how good his Sicilian and Italian was throughout the film but it sounded good. I'd love to hear what some Italians think of his portrayal. Otherwise, the script is tight and well written, the film is well directed. The only possible negative I saw was if you an Alex Cord fan--he really didn't have a lot to say or do--it was clearly Douglas' film.

If you do watch the film, one bit of warning. While you'd expect a mob film to be violent, you might think since it came out in the 60s that it would be very sanitized. Well, there are some gritty scenes--especially when Douglas murders someone--it's VERY vivid and tough to watch.

The Brotherhood was made 4 years before the legendary blockbuster classic, The Godfather. However, it's amazing how much of this earlier film about the "brotherhood" is so similar to the Godfather. Alex Cord is the younger brother of mob boss Kirk Douglas. There's a wedding scene (sound familiar?),as Cord returns from the war (Viet-Nam),and gets married in his army uniform. Godfather begins with a wedding; Al Pacino arrives back from the war(WWII),wearing his marine corp uniform. The Brotherhood is a story of tradition, as well-as the desire for power, power that's stronger than family ties. Two brothers in conflict. The Godfather has similar scenes and themes. I'm giving the ending away (sorry),but Alex Cord gives his brother Frank(Kirk Douglas) the "Kiss of Death" and kills him with a shot-gun to avenge the family's honor. Godfather II is similar with Al Pacino's character ordering the murder of his older brother Fredo.

The Brotherhood is well acted. Kirk Douglas is out-standing in one of his better "later" roles. Alex Cord gives his best on-screen performance. Veteran actor Luther Adler is out-standing as well as the traitor. The scene in which Adler is hog-tied and strangled is one of the most brutal and graphic in screen history. This is a non-romanticized looked at the Brotherhood. There are no heroes, or big shoot-outs. It's raw, brutal, edgy, and realistic. An out-standing work, even some 37 years later.

The Brotherhood as a title has a double meaning. It's not just about that Italian fraternal order of criminals that so many films and books have been made and written about. It's about two brothers also, the Ginettas, Frank and Vince.

Kirk Douglas is Frank Ginetta a made man, high up in the councils and his younger brother Vince played by Alex Cord who's just back from the Army like Michael Corleone was. But Michael married an outsider while Vince Ginetta is marrying the daughter of another Mafia capo, Luther Adler.

Though he's younger than Adler, Douglas is a guy who likes to do things the old fashioned way, the way his dad who was a button man back in the day did them. He also loves hanging around with the ancient survivors of the old Mafia wars among them Eduardo Ciannelli. Adler and Douglas get to be at loggerheads over Cord and the role he should take in the business.

The old guys learn something and give Douglas a contract that's going to cause him considerable problems, personal and organizational. What's a good Mafia guy to do when you get a contract. Then Alex Cord is given a contract to make his bones so to speak.

The main difference between the Godfather films and this is that the Brotherhood is set in the present, whereas the Godfather films are rooted in the past. By 1968 organized crime at the highest levels was hardly an Italian only concern. You don't see hardly any non-Italians in the first Godfather film and in the second the alliance is pretty wary. The non-Italians dominate the high councils in New York, Val Avery, Alan Hewitt and Murray Hamilton together with Luther Adler outvote Douglas all the time.

Martin Ritt shot a whole lot of this film in New York and many of the sites are recognizable to a native New Yorker. Still it's not one of his better films and it took Francis Ford Coppola to do the modern gangster film right.

One thing though, Douglas certainly did NOT heed Vito Corleone's advice about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Not that the higher ups wouldn't have found out at some point anyway, but when you watch The Brotherhood you'll know that Douglas was the obvious suspect when he makes that fateful hit.