Brotherhood of the Rose (1989)

This is a satisfactory TV mini-series about spies, which has a very unusual plot. It lasts for 240 minutes. It is based upon a novel by David Morrell. Robert Mitchum plays a Deputy Director of the CIA named Elliott who is a real old-timer and 'has always been around'. And during that time he has been busy building a secret network of assassins, 18 of them in fact, who answer only to him and ask no questions. His method was to find pairs of boys in orphanages, aged about seven, who had formed a close bond between each other and become a surrogate father to them. He did this nine times in nine different cities, but none of the pairs of 'brothers' knew that the others existed. This story concerns the pair whose code names are Romulus and Remus, played by Peter Strauss and David Morse. When the story begins, they are totally loyal to their 'father', Elliott, and it has never occurred to them that he would or could ever betray or sacrifice them, since they entirely believe in his paternal love for them. What they do not realize, but eventually discover, is that he is a power-mad maniac who has entered into an international cabal with senior intelligence officers in four other countries to manipulate world events and 'keep the stupid politicians in check'. Elliott is intimately linked with the creation of safe sanctuaries for spies where operatives from any agency of any country can seek shelter. These shelters are known as 'Abelard Sanctuaries', after the mediaeval philosopher Abelard (yes, the one who was in love with Heloise). Anyone who breaks the Abelard Sanction by killing one of the operatives on the premises is instantly terminated. It is meant to be where all types can let their hair down, dress for dinner and sip champagne, and of course be safe from being killed until they leave. The five men who set up the Abelard network in 1947 are the five grand conspirators, and Elliott is the protégé of the American one. During the course of the story, Peter Strauss kills Elliott's British counterpart. A very pretty Israeli colonel of Mossad is in the story, played by Concetta Sellecca. She and Strauss (Romulus) were in love before and then separated by events, but come together again in this story, and jointly struggle against the massive web of conspiracy. There are lots of helicopters, aerial attacks, racing cars, barbed wire fences, guns and Uzis, knives, hand to hand combat, desperate situations, people cornered who escape, and many a thrill of that kind. It is all good diversionary entertainment. And Peter and Concetta kiss in between escaping, shooting, and chasing bad guys. You see, Elliott decides to sacrifice Strauss and sets him up after having him assassinate five international businessmen who endanger his plays for control of the world scene. So that does not go down well with Strauss when he figures out what is happening. And things go on happening, four hours' worth of them. This is a guy's thing, not something that would appeal to women.

Let's open this with a quote: "It was true to the novel and turned out very well, I think. I keep looking for it on cable TV, but it never seems to show up. I came across a commercial videotape of it and was alarmed to find that it was cut to 90 minutes and barely recognisable in terms of my book".David Morrell Author of The Brotherhood Of The Rose. That alone is sufficient for me to recommend this film - The author of the book himself is a fan. As Morrell's comment makes obvious - Get the full-length version. It just so happens, I ordered the new full-length DVD from Sweden. Plays fine on Region 2 players, but reportedly works on other regions too...As for the film - It's not really a Spy flick... More a thriller, but somewhat different. The organisations and professions themselves are not so important. What matters most is the relationship between the two 'brothers' and their 'father'. I suppose it's a family tale, set in the genre of a political/spy thriller. Some very good factual background and brilliant actors combine to make this an enjoyable watch. The secondary support cast are not particularly animated, but then they are often just passing faces who serve one purpose - Usually getting killed. What really makes this is Robert Mitchum and his interaction between Peter Strauss and David Morse. The two latter actors in scenes alone have a very brotherly way about them and you get the impression these two actors were close friends on and off set. Even when they're not in the same scene, all three have a sense of family about them. James B. Sikking and Connie Sellecca are engaging in their own right, as well as great vehicles for the main 3 to play off. The film itself does feel like a 70s/80s thriller flick, but that is in perfect keeping with the period the novel is set in, so it works well for the story. In terms of plot, it's an engaging one that doesn't always go where you think it will and ends, like all good thrillers, with a fantastic and surprising twist!!

The original airing of this movie (on TV) was outstanding! However, when it was put into VHS, it was chopped up pretty bad and now there is quite a lot of good footage missing. Now (in VHS format) the movie looks choppy, it jumps around too quickly, and vital story components are now gone. I look forward to the day when it is released in DVD and restored to its original length. The story, in short... Two orphaned boys are adopted by a major American Intelligence officer, and the two boys are trained to be top assassins for the U.S. But when each of the orphans (now agents) run into unexpected dangers, the only person they can turn to (other than each other) is their adopted father. Or can they?

I first saw this film in the early 1990's on TV in the UK and really enjoyed it. It was shown again around 1996 and has not been shown since. The TV stations say they no longer have it and SKY MOVIES have never heard of it. It is a unique masterpiece but I am very disappointed that it is so very difficult to buy on VHS and I have not seen it in PAL format for us Brits across the big pond. If the producers want to make a quick buck, the public demand that this film be re-released as a DVD and made available world wide.such effort by the actors and crew should not be left to rot behind closed doors. For the people who have not seen this film and like a good spy thriller please add your own comments and support my plea to make this masterpiece available.