"Two Brothers" roars mightily when the cameras rest on the titular feline siblings. When the story trails off into human concerns, the effect is more like a whimper.
Fortunately, the two tiger brothers command most of the footage.
French director Jean-Jacques Annaud , who gave us 1989's widely praised "The Bear," has generally had better luck with animals than with human actors. "Two Brothers" does not prove otherwise. The animal characters are more expressive than lead actor Guy Pearce , whose deadpan earnestness shows no variety.
Still, "Two Brothers" is not the equal of "The Bear." The story never reaches the heart-pounding heights that Annaud so obviously intended, but there is both sentiment and fun along the way, and the feline brethren move with expected grace and majesty.
We first meet Kumal and Sangha as tiger cubs, having been born into a loving habitat governed by momma and poppa cat. They play together with coltish camaraderie and quickly grasp the unwritten laws of the jungle.
Then man comes along and disrupts their paradise. The unspecified time is circa 1920, and the place is French colonial Indochina. Hunter Aidan McRory (Pearce) enters the jungle to plunder temples for artifacts that will bring hefty prices. He stumbles upon the feline family, shoots poppa cat and makes off with Kumal.
He sells Kumal to a circus run by a greedy, sometimes sadistic ringmaster. Parents should be warned that some scenes of animal mistreatment, though not excessive, could disturb children.
Sangha, meanwhile, winds up in the home of an ambitious French administrator, where he's gentle enough to share a bed with the administrator's young son. This privilege drives the household dog into fits of enraged jealousy, with results that are initially funny but later doleful.
After the passage of more than a year, both Kumal and Sangha are fully grown and meet as adversaries in a public arena. By this time, McRory has developed a conscience and tries to help the beautiful brothers.
Both feline leads had three "doubles," and all are exquisitely expressive. These tigers are as tenacious as terriers but with sad, soulful eyes even in their carefree moments.
The two-dimensional human characters are often played for laughs, some of which are cleverer than others.
The film, shot in 180 days in Cambodia and Thailand, is a major technical achievement for Annaud. It's great to look at and never painful to listen to. And anyone who subscribes to the popular theory that cats are cold and detached will think twice before making such a statement again.
½ Rated: PG (for violence). 109 min.