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RATING:  
SINGAPORE: Blooming like an oddball gem of a flower out of a bed of big-budget summer blockbusters is "The Brothers Bloom".
The second film from writer-director Rian Johnson (Brick) is a valiant attempt at snatching away the eccentric yarn-spinning crown off Wes Anderson's head.
Thesps Adrian Brody and Mark Ruffalo are con-men brothers living one lie after another since childhood, keeping new best friends only long enough to clean out their bank accounts.
They become a con threesome with the barely-speaking Bang Bang (scene-stealing Rinko Kikuchi), and the plot thickens as their last mark, heiress Penelope (Rachel Weisz), joins the fray with her kooky charm.
Is this a hustler game? A love story? Or a Cain and Abel tale? It's all that and a whole lot more with an inspired script, infectious whimsy and four spot-on winning performances.
Unfortunately, the over-the-top character idiosyncrasies that initially made the film intriguing and engaging seem to lose momentum as the story progresses, adding an unnecessary gravity to what some might find an unsatisfying conclusion.
That said, this is a charming movie with inimitable quirk. - TODAY/sh
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