Movie fans with their finger on the pulse will know that Tobey Maguire’s schedule has just got a lot clearer, with Sony announcing that the next Spider-man will be a ‘reboot’ a la Casino Royale with a new director and young cast. This raises an interesting question - with most of the actor’s work outside of the Spider-films being serious dramas, is this latest project, Jim Sheridan’s Brothers, a sign of things to come?

A remake of the 2004 Danish film, Brothers sees Maguire play Sam, a marine about to begin his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan. He leaves behind his wife Grace (Natalie Portman), two daughters, and his wayward brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhall), just released from prison. When Sam goes missing (presumed dead), Tommy finds a kind of redemption in comforting his family, and forms a strong bond with Grace. But with Sam captured, and not dead as they thought, will Grace and Tommy’s friendship go too far?

For the most part, the film has two parallel storylines - Sam as a prison in Afghanistan and the story between Tommy and Grace in America. This is perhaps the only fault one could find with what is a very well constructed drama, as the will they/won’t they? story between Portman and Gyllenhaal seems almost trivial when compared to the horror of Sam’s experiences in Iraq.

However, the third act picks up momentum and creates almost unbearable tension, making the dinner tables of the American suburbs seem as fierce a battleground as the front line. It also deals with the greater effects of war- the families left behind, the constant fear of getting the knock on the door with awful news. Perhaps most interesting is Tommy’s struggle to gain acceptance from his father (Sam Shepard), a former marine who constantly voices his disappointment in him. 

It feels a little like a graduation acting-wise - all three of these actors were considered ‘the next big thing’ going into the last decade, and coming into this new one this film confirms them as having ‘arrived’ dramatically. Portman handles the incredible emotion involved in her role with graceful understatement, whilst Gyllenhaal’s performance is brilliant in that he becomes the complete opposite of Maguire, right down to his slouching and semi-mumbled lines. Maguire is at his most complex as an actor here, with the pain of what he has seen etched on his face, perfectly embodying the invisible scars many soldiers carry around today. 

All in all a sombre tale of the casualties of conflict, as well as how fragile the family unit can be. Very thoughtful performances from all three lead actors show that there’s a lot more to them than the summer franchises they have all been (or will be) a part of, and although it’s not perfect a fantastic final third will mean you won’t go home disappointed.

Brothers is released on January 22.