Brotherhood (www.the-usher.com)

"Just wait....WAIT!"

Pledging a fraternity is a right of passage for all college students but with competition increasing for places in the best houses, initiation rituals have become more and more demanding. For Adam (Morgan) and Kevin (Pucci) their task was something they never expected. Driving around the local town, Fraternity leader Frank (Foster) says for them to be accepted to their house they have to wear a mask, carry a gun and rob a convenience of $19.10 but when Kevin heads into the store things go dramatically wrong.

The American college experience has been brought to the silver screen many times before but what happens when a pledge goes extremely wrong?

Part of the American college experience for some is become part of a fraternity or a sorority, brothers and sisters connected for life and becoming part of college history. While this has been background plot to many a comedy, what happens with the initiation process for new pledges goes terribly wrong. For ‘Brotherhood’ this is what happens and director Will Canon and his writing partner Doug Simon push the drama as far as they can.

It is the initiation of any pledge that seems to be the main cause of problems for any fraternity or sorority at college. With the tradition of frightening the pledges to see how far they would go to join, things are bound to go wrong, even with the utmost planning. For Frank’s house’s new pledges their initiation was simple, hold up a convenience store for $19.10, the same amount as the year the fraternity was established. Little did the pledges know that this as a scam and each store was a set up but when they drive to a store that is not on the planned route my mistake, new pledge Kevin is shot by the store clerk for trying to rob the place. Panicking and not knowing what to do, Frank desperate to cover everything up and not ruin the reputation of his beloved house but his decisions lead to kidnapping, car accidents and blackmail, all with Kevin’s life hanging in the balance.

As Will Canon’s first feature, this is a well acted and nicely played drama that retreads a well-trodden plot path. There is nothing new or original here but it is well made, nicely crafted and with enough plot twists and turns to keep you engaged for its short seventy-six minute running time. It is made all the more watchable by the up and coming young cast. Trevor Morgan is an up and coming actor who starred in some huge films as a child performer such as ‘Jurassic Park III’ and ‘The Patriot’ and as Adam, he is the voice of reason. Lou Taylor Pucci really shows the pain as Kevin and Jon Foster is how you would expect a panicky leader of a frat house to be as Frank.

‘Brotherhood’ is a small budget character driven piece that pulls no real surprises but is enjoyable all the same. With some good performances and well written dialogue, even though the plot is a well-trodden one this is a film that will keep your attention and make you wonder what director Will Cannon will do next, as he has some potential.

DVD Bonus Material Includes:

Director's Commentary
"Roslyn" Short Film
Behind the Scenes
Brotherhood Photo Gallery

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2010