Recently Reviewed

Brotherhood

 (Series; Showtime; Sun. July 9, 10 p.m.)

By PHIL GALLO

Jason Isaacs, left, and Jason Clarke take to politics in very different ways in Showtime series 'Brotherhood,' premiering Sunday.

Filmed in Providence, R.I., by Mandalay Entertainment. Executive producers, Blake Masters, Henry Bromell, Elizabeth Guber Stephen; co-executive producers, Nicole Yorkin, Dawn Prestwich, Phillip Noyce; producers, Donna Bloom, Henry Bronchtein; directors, Noyce (pilot), Ed Bianchi (episode 2), Jean DeSegonzac (episode 3); writers, Masters (pilot), Bromell (episode 2), Prestwich, Yorkin (episode 3).
 
Michael Caffee - Jason Isaacs
Tommy Caffee - Jason Clarke
Eileen Caffee - Annabeth Gish
Rose Caffee - Fionnula Flanagan
Declan Gigg - Ethan Embry
Pete McConagle - Stivi Paskoski
Freddie Cork - Kevin Chapman
Mary Rose Caffee - Fiona Erickson
 

The brothers in "Brotherhood" couldn't be more different. Tommy (Jason Clarke) is a clean-cut politician, devoted husband and father of three, dedicated to securing the best life possible for the people of the Hill section of Providence, R.I. Michael (Jason Isaacs) is a thug who has returned home after an unexplained seven-year absence, determined to mend fences with people from his past and rebuild a criminal empire he can control. Aided by superb direction, lush cinematography and a slew of subplots that start paying off in the second episode, this character-driven family story is captivating on a multitude of levels. This is the jewel Showtime has sought for years.

The details of a political life take up a fair amount of screen time, but it's Isaacs and his ne'er-do-well character Michael that supply the series with its lifeblood. His character stews with conflict -- he's a Tony Soprano type without the power or muscle -- and his navigation of a home life with mom (Fionnula Flanagan) and his relatives plus the mean streets give "The Brotherhood" its substance. Brother Tommy is tightly wound, but he's the stable and predictable one -- at least after three episodes. Michael, thanks to a razor-sharp perf from Isaacs, is the one we can't keep our eyes off, especially when his unpredictable wheels are turning.

Pilot for this 11-seg series overflows with characters and an abundance of storylines. Clarification, however, comes through boldly in the second episode, and by the third, the motivations of all the key players are clear and of keen interest. Kudos to writers Blake Masters, Henry Bromell and the team of Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin, who maintain a taut tone across the first three episodes.

The Providence that "Brotherhood" occupies is defined along ethnic lines. Most are Irish, and they mingle with Italians who seem to be in the same businesses, i.e., politics and crime. Everyone else they seem to have no use for, and as the series opens, the city appears bound for a race war after a killing at a construction site.

Tommy, as he does throughout the early going, attempts to reconcile parties with differences through calm, private meetings. He shuns grandstanding for the media or his fellow pols on the City Council, which, unbeknownst to him, is earning him points with power players in the R.I. Democratic Party. His negotiation skills are next put to the test during a garbage strike that brings him between a mobster and the mayor. Tommy has a personal stake in solving the strike: He is trying to unload some real estate, and he wants Providence to look as good as possible when some out-of-state investors arrive to look at the properties.

The dilemmas initially take a back seat to Michael's return. After a shock, most everyone embraces Michael, who is rather quick to get involved with mobsters and reunite with an old partner in crime. He's a rogue criminal, however, and has no patience for playing by other's rules; he figures it's time to set out on his own and starts roughing up old associates.

Michael's every move is being watched by a cop, Declan Giggs (Ethan Embry), who happens to be an old family friend and is willing to turn a blind eye to certain events. The crime boss of the Hill, Freddie Cork (Kevin Chapman), appears determined to get both of the brothers working for him.

But the most duplicitous character is Tommy's wife, Eileen (Annabeth Gish), a dutiful mother who slips out for pot 'n' sex rendezvous with a postal worker. Gish has a steady toughness that's engaging, and she pivots from that center to varying degrees of soft and hard. As her husband's political life begins to take a few twists and turns, Eileen's reactions should be as interesting to watch as his maneuvering in an increasing complicated world.

Camera, Ernest Holzman, Ron Fortunato; production design, Chad Detwiller; editors, Terry Kelley, Anthony Redman, Neil Travis, Adam Wolfe; music, Jeff Rona; casting, Carolyn Pickman, Mele Nagler, Matthew Barry, Nancy Green-Keyes, Pat McCorkle. 60 MIN.