The Brothers Bloom came recommended. Most folks like to watch films where someone deserving gets royally fleeced by skilled con-men. Immediately, The Sting, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels come to mind. You know half the fun of a con film is that in most cases, we members of the audience get tricked as well.
We start off with a pair of brothers, kids actually, and they’re already doing cons on other neighborhood kids. There’s Stephen and there’s Bloom – no last names are offered. So early on, we’re shown that this is their nature. If they are jr conmen at this age, there’s no doubt that this will be their future. In fact, they do grow up and become serious con artists – only as adults they play for far greater stakes than the local kids’ lunch money.
We fast forward what looks like 25-30 years and both are now adults – Bloom is played by Adrien Brody, and Stephen is played by Mark Ruffalo. For some reason they dress in black suits, with white shirts, and black hats. Though they don’t act in any way that defines them, nor do they wear yarmulkes, or have the curly peyes which are long, uncut sideburns, they look almost like Hasidim. I don’t think they are but it sure seems like we are supposed to think along those lines.
In due course we find out that they’re very successful conmen. But Brody’s character is tired of their life – he wants out. Stephen says – we do one more, and then we’ll be set. The mark is a single and very eccentric woman worth millions even by a conservative estimate. They’re going to con her into buying a supposed religious artifact.
