Get a bunch of handsome hunks, dress them up in smart suits, let them loose as professional bodyguards forming an elite gang caught up in the throes of power and position and the result is 2 hours of solid entertainment. The craftsmanship is superb; with plenty of nail-biting fast and furious action, right from the opening scene. The violence is gruesomely real - lots of blood, gore and fighting - with bare fists, rods, knives, guns, bombs exploding cars, bodies smashing through glass. I cringe and gasp at the whole gamut of it all, since I don't particularly care for violence. But it certainly makes my eyes pop at the ways people can inflict pain on people.
Interwoven with many unexpected plot twists, the story-line is most compelling to say the least. For it premises on a very universal theme - family. All of us come from families, none of which are perfect, all of whom disappoint at some time or other, some more than others. The film focuses on the complex relationship of the protagonist kid-brother Ariff with his 2 brothers. We are introduced first to his adopted 'gang'-brother/mentor Ghaz and then to his real-life brother Jaki, estranged since young, who provides a touch of comedy in his bumbling ways as they re-connect. All are thrown together in (of all things) a wedding, which serves as the backdrop to a conspiracy of betrayal sparked off by jealous ambition to secure the top position as Boss of the Naga's, to replace a leader who knows cancer will kill him off eventually. In spite of the heavy action, there are tender moments, as in the scenes of Ghaz and his lady- love. Especially touching were her tears as she voices her desire for them to get away from it all, just the two of them. What cut most was the guilt that he was confronted with, realizing that if only he had listened to her, if only he had chosen her way, her death could have been avoided.
Surely we all regret decisions we made and decisions we didn't make in our lives. Especially when the consequences impact others adversely. I recall when my husband asked me one time , "Do you ever regret marrying me?" To be brutally honest, in my heart, I knew there were times I did regret. But after 17 years spent bearing him 3 kids, quarrelling and making up somehow, thru all the ups and downs of married life, I couldn't answer him. In the midst of having to deal with his 4th stage cancer, how could I answer without hurting him more? The week before he passed on, he asked me to forgive him, and said he wanted Jesus. Looking back, I can only say, God works in mysterious ways; using our regret to convict and convert into a better thing - salvation. Every wrong word spoken, every wrong action taken... All the "if only's" only serve to pile up the pain, the guilt of wrong decisions committed or omitted in the course of our lifetime on earth. But there can be release...For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death - 2 Corinthians 7:10 .
I remember a quote from the very old (1970s) movie, Love Story, "Love means never having to say you are sorry." In its context, it just means we don't regret loving, though actually saying sorry is very necessary in any meaningful relationship. It's certainly not the easiest thing to do. But true Love never fails. And in Blood Brothers, love is what ultimately shines through for the 3 men, brothers by blood and by friendship.
Love portrayed through unspoken heart-tugging moments. The pathos of love seen in the action of a young Ariff handing out a drink to the elder Jaki, who lies flat out on the floor, all beaten up by their abusive father. And passing him a cloth to wipe off the blood. Both rejected, flung away, by the elder brother. The younger taking the blows of an enraged father, when it was actually his brother who stole the old man's money. The (love) confession of Jaki that he lost everything when Ariff walked out of his life, to follow a different path with a different brother...Ghaz, the one who chose to take Ariff under his wings. And the cry of love betrayed when Ghaz reminded Ariff who was the one who turned him from zero to hero. Emotional issues of anger, mistrust, disappointment can really mess up the loyalty and the love . Throw in disobedience, rebellion into the boiling pot, and in the words of Jaki, the odd-ball comedian - everything has been exploded. Though in the movie, he was then quipping about not having any cars left to escape in -"Kereta mana? Semua dah kena letup" So funny, in the most serious situation.
Ultimately it's a special love that not only reconciles but triumphs - a love that sacrifices and stays on till the end, no matter what; even if it means the price is your own life to save the beloved. So it's a fight to the finish. I am so glad it ended well; truth prevails as the villains are exposed. Love wins. In the words of Neil Diamond's song:
"If I'm laden at all, I'm laden with sadness That everyone's heart Isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another … And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all ..He ain't heavy, he's my brother"
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"By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers...let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth'" - 1 John 3:16,18
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