Remember way back in the day when you watched movies all about animals running around, getting into trouble and having all sorts of adventures? You know what I mean. The Adventures of Milo and Otis rocked when you were younger, and if you picked it up again today, it probably still does. Two Brothers is a film in that same vein and it brings back all those warm and fuzzy childhood feelings.
The movie is about two tiger cubs, Kumal and Sangha, growing up in the jungles of French Indochina around 1920. The first thirty minutes are amazingly beautiful as the two cubs establish their personalities in the lush jungle, exploring under the protective eyes of their majestic tiger parents. Eventually, the human plot comes into play and it actually isn't bad.
Guy Pearce supports the tiger stars in the film as the Rudyard Kipling-like writer/hunter/tomb-raider Aidan McRory. Pearce's character starts the chain of events that separate Kumal and Sangha, taking them out of the jungle and into the world of man. The following story is entertaining, well-acted and tinged with environmentalist and anti-imperialist ideas that keep it intellectually engaging. The cinematography is spectacular and overall the film is visually fascinating.
Two Brothers brings back all the excitement of the old animal-centered films like Benji, but it has more to say. By the end of the movie, Annaud has made a touching statement about the nature of man and beast and the possibility of an understanding and emotional relationship between the two.
