The Brothers Rico Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Brothers Rico Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 30, 2021

Phil Karlson's "The Brothers Rico" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with critic Nick Pinkerton; new audio commentary by critic Jason A. Ney; archival video introduction by Martin Scorsese; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Find your brother, and bring him to me.

The one thing that does not seem right about the character Richard Conte plays is his intelligence. How could Eddie Rico assume that a day would come when his past relationship with the Mafia is forgotten and he becomes a legit businessman? A bright man like Eddie would have known that if you let the Mafia in your life, it is forever. His naivety becomes even more suspicious when it is revealed that years ago he ran books for the Mafia. A retired accountant not realizing that he could never truly walk away from the Mafia? C’mon.

Big boss Sid Kubik (Larry Gates) summons Eddie in Miami and asks him to find his brother Johnny (James Darren) so that together they can figure out the fastest way to safely get him out of the country. Eddie’s other brother, Gino (Paul Picerni), who has gone missing too, will have to follow Johnny. Eddie has to cooperate because it is the only way his brothers will stay alive. After doing a hit for the organization, Johnny and Gino have shown remorse and considered talking to the authorities, which is why the other big bosses have demanded that they are permanently silenced. Kubik, who thinks of Eddie as his own son, wants to avoid the requested solution of the problem. There is still time, but Eddie has to act quickly.

Soon after, Eddie ends up in New York and meets Mama Rico (Argentina Brunetti), who reluctantly reveals to him that Johnny has phoned her from a small town in Southern California. Johnny has been hiding there with his new wife, who is about to give birth to another member of the Rico famiglia. Eddie immediately heads to the West Coast and runs into Mike Lamotta (Harry Bellaver), a veteran fixer working for Kubik, who casually reveals to him that Johnny has already been spoken for. At first Eddie refuses to believe that Kubik has tricked him to lead one of his top executioners to Johnny, but a quick phone call to Miami changes his mind. In a desperate attempt to prevent the inevitable, Eddie then begins improvising.

Phil Karlson gives The Brothers Rico the right appearance a film noir from the 1950s needs to appear attractive, but the drama that is chronicled in it is awfully difficult to take seriously. It is because its progression relies almost exclusively on Eddie’s suspicious inability to predict the obvious intentions of the bad guys around him as well as the heavy melodramatization of key events. As a result, Eddie’s struggle to help his two brothers very quickly creates the impression that it is carefully managed for maximum effect.

The attitudes of the two brothers are quite suspicious as well. Both appear desperate, but when Eddie attempts to explain to them how he can help them stay alive, they suddenly find the courage to face what is coming to them and choose to ignore him. This makes the decision to ask the brothers to carry out a high-profile hit for the Mafia just as perplexing. Why? Because the Mafia did not use mentally unstable amateurs for these types of jobs. The Mafia's top executioners were cold-hearted professionals with long records and impeccable reputations.

Most of the on-location footage is quite good, but unfortunately there isn’t enough of it to transform the film into a sleek time capsule. Miami and its sandy beaches, for instance, could have been used a lot more to highlight the glamor and exotic beauty that over the years attracted many real mafia bosses to resettle there.

Karlson worked with one of the very best cinematographers in the business, Burnett Guffey, whose credits include such genre classics as In a Lonely Place, The Sniper, Human Desire, The Harder They Fall, and Private Hell 36.

The Brothers Rico Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Brothers Rico arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The master that was used to source this release was prepared a while ago at Sony Pictures. It shows some minor signs of aging, but overall it is very nice. Virtually all close-ups for instance reveal plenty of fine nuances, while the wider panoramic shot boast good depth. Yes, some areas can appear slightly softer than they should be, but these fluctuations are not introduced by poor digital work. The grayscale is convincing as well. Grain could have been slightly better exposed, but this is really the only minor weakness that is easy to recognize if you view the film on a larger screen. Image stability is very good. A few specks and tiny blemishes can be spotted, but there are no large cuts, debris, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Brothers Rico Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is clear and stable. Balance is good too. In the upper register occasionally some extremely light background hiss sneaks in, but I don't think that this is even something that most viewers will notice. Dynamic intensity is good, but these types of older films have to be approached with the right expectations.

The Brothers Rico Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Brothers Rico. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Brothers Rico.

• Introduction by Martin Scorsese - an archival video introduction by director Martin Scorsese. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• A Bracing Brutality: Nick Pinkerton on Phil Karlson - in this new video program, critic Nick Pinkerton discusses Phil Karlson's body of work and the evolution of his style, as well as the production and unique qualities of The Brothers Rico. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Commentary - this new commentary was recorded by critic Jason A. Ney.

• A Merry Mix-Up (1956) - a short film featuring the three stooges. Directed and produced by Jules White. Fully remastered. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (16 min).

• Book - a limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Beth Ann Gallagher, Bob Herzberg, Sophie Monks Kaufman, Omar Ahmed, Jen Johans, and Monica Castillo, archival articles and interviews, and film credits.

The Brothers Rico Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Brothers Rico is easier to profile as crime melodrama than conventional film noir. A vintage trailer from Columbia Pictures included on this release announces that it was inspired by a novel written by Georges Simenon, and I found this quite surprising because the film's personality and tone are such that the relationship is essentially unrecognizable. (If you have read a few of Simenon's novels and view the film, you will immediately understand why). I much prefer Phil Karlson's rougher film noirs -- like 99 River Street, which is one of my all-time favorites -- but I am still glad to have The Brothers Rico in my library. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release is sourced from an older but good remaster that was supplied by Sony Pictures, and features a very nice exclusive new program with critic Nick Pinkerton discussing in great detail Karlson's body of work and the evolution of his style. It is included in the Columbia Noir #4 box set. RECOMMENDED.