It might not be the best movie ever made, and it’s certainly no The Dark Knight, but Heath Ledger’s underrated dark fantasy action movie is making a comeback on streaming. Ledger is undoubtedly best known for giving the blueprint performance as The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The actor also starred in major hits like 10 Things I Hate About You, Brokeback Mountain, and the fantasy comedy flick A Knight’s Tale. But the late Australian actor also made another venture into the fantasy genre in the 2000s, although it wasn’t received anywhere near as well. We’re, of course, talking about The Brothers Grimm, and it’s currently trending on streaming.
The Brothers Grimm is currently streaming on Netflix, and, 20 years after flopping in theaters, it’s taken the world by storm. The Brothers Grimm is currently the eighth most popular movie on Netflix globally. The film, which opened in 2005, had all the markings of a potential hit. Terry Gilliam directed the movie, with a tremendous cast that included Ledger, Matt Damon, Peter Stormare, Monica Bellucci, Lena Headey, and Jonathan Pryce. However, neither audiences nor critics were engrossed in the wildly different retelling of the classic Grimm fairytales.
The Brothers Grimm takes the iconic pair of German writers and transforms them into conmen in a world filled with the very fairytale stories the real Grimm brothers wrote about. Ledger and Damon play the two brothers, who con people by pretending to solve their “paranormal” problems. But when they’re hired to eradicate a spectral evil that turns out to be very real, they find themselves way over their heads. The official synopsis reads:
“The Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm (Matt Damon) and Jacob (Heath Ledger), are dysfunctional schemers who go from town to town putting on shows that convince inhabitants they are getting rid of demons. After one such scam, a mysterious man called Cavaldi (Peter Stormare) brings them to a French general, who persuades them to battle the evil that has kidnapped 10 girls from a small village. During the investigation, the cynical Wilhelm and sensitive Jacob see things that point to real magic at work.”
‘The Brothers Grimm’ Is One of Heath Ledger’s Most Divisive Movies
The Brothers Grimm certainly has its share of fans (this writer is included among them) who accept the film for the low-stakes fantasy caper it is. However, the film was also maligned by critics upon its release. The Brothers Grimm holds a poor 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were only slightly more forgiving, rating it at 39%.
“It can’t figure out if it wants to be a dumb comedy or a violent action vehicle, so it tries to be both,” wrote one user, who gave the film one-and-a-half stars. Other viewers were more direct with their insults, like this audience member, who wrote, “I feel so sorry for Heath Ledger and Matt Damon for having this travesty on their filmographies.”
- Release Date
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August 26, 2005
- Runtime
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118 minutes