Auftrag Mord (1968)

Auftrag Mord: Directed by Martin Ritt. With Kirk Douglas, Alex Cord, Irene Papas, Luther Adler. The son of a powerful Mafia don comes home from his army service in Vietnam and wants to lead his own life, but family tradition, intrigues and powerplays involving his older brother dictate otherwise, and he finds himself being slowly drawn back into that world.

“Brotherhood, The (1968) u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e*** (out of 4) u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCalm but effective tale of Mafia boss Frank Ginetta (Kirk Douglas) who welcomes his younger brother Vince (Alex Cord) into the u0026quot;familyu0026quot; but soon the two are at odds. Frank, being of an old school, wants to keep old traditions while Vince wants to move ahead and try new things. Soon Frank starts to battle the heads of the other families trying to get his way. THE BROTHERHOOD was apparently a disaster when it was first released and legend has it that this is the film that made Paramount nervous about giving money for THE GODFATHER. Whether or not that legend is true is beyond me but I think itu0026#39;s fair to say that had THE GODFATHER not been a hit and become known as one of the greatest films ever made then perhaps this 1968 movie might have gained a cult following over time. As it is, THE BROTHERHOOD has pretty much been forgotten over time and thatu0026#39;s a shame because itu0026#39;s actually a pretty good movie. I think the filmu0026#39;s weakest parts are the opening thirty-minutes or so as we get a few flashbacks and at times they donu0026#39;t make too much since. I think director Martin Ritt loses the story at times and a lot of this is due to some rather silly moments where weu0026#39;re being introduced to the mob and the lifestyle. These early scenes really donu0026#39;t add up to much and I think the screenplay also suffers at building up Franku0026#39;s character. Itu0026#39;s never quite clear what type of leader he is and itu0026#39;s never made clear whether weu0026#39;re supposed to be with him or against him. This changes once the real story kicks into place and thatu0026#39;s pretty much your typical brother vs. brother thing that weu0026#39;ve seen countless times in the past. This aspect of the story is probably the most unoriginal but itu0026#39;s where all the drama comes from and at times this drama is very high. I thought the second half of the film is where Douglas really came to life as well. Once he character starts to crack under all the pressure is when things really started to heat up and this includes Douglas who finally becomes very menacing. I really loved the way Douglas played the old tradition while being at odds with the new stuff in the family. Cord is also very good in his supporting role as is Murray Hamilton, Susan Strasberg, Luther Adler and Irene Papas. While watching the film you canu0026#39;t help but see a minor influence on the Coppola film but also there are a few bits and pieces in Martin Scorseseu0026#39;s GOODFELLAS. There are a couple extremely memorable moments including a u0026quot;jokeu0026quot; that Douglas tells before carrying out a hit. Then, when we see this hit, itu0026#39;s quite disturbing to watch and even more shocking is that itu0026#39;s done without gore, blood or even much violence. The ending, which youu0026#39;ll see coming, is also done in a very nice way as thereu0026#39;s an added twist that is very effective. THE BROTHERHOOD has many flaws but itu0026#39;s still worth viewing and even if you find it starting pretty slow, just stick in there and youu0026#39;ll be rewarded.”