NR | 1h 41m | War, Thriller | 2026
“Brothers Under Fire” is a generic military-versus-drug-cartel thriller that appears to set its sights on achieving the bare minimum in entertainment value. While it does that, it adds little and part of the reason is that the screenplay takes too long to arrive at the action.
We’re introduced to a U.S. Army Special Infantry squad based in Syria. They fight anonymous local forces for unexplained reasons. There’s plenty of generic military shooting and death, and some big explosions when Capt. Jordan Wright (Kiefer Sutherland) calls in an airstrike.
Wright is the career service member, with no intentions of retiring. He’s a strong, decisive leader who commands the respect and affection of his soldiers.
Goin' to the Chapel
Alberto Castillo (Tommy Martinez), Wright’s unofficial medic and a likely native of Mexico (his generic Central or South American country of origin isn’t mentioned)—gets some very good news. He’s been approved to become a U.S. naturalized citizen, and his military superiors also granted him leave to return home so that he can marry his girlfriend Isabella (Laura Osma). Alberto invites the entire squad to attend. Wright will be Alberto’s best man.
First and Second Act Molasses
Much of the first two acts of the movie are about setting up the conflict. We meet ruthless cartel boss Baker (Omar Chaparro). His lengthy and mostly unimportant introduction is spent stalking his estate and manor that oversee the small town where Alberto and Isabella’s wedding and reception will take place. It was originally the estate of a cartel kingpin who annexed local farmland to grow poppy crops. Baker and his men wiped out the drug lord’s entire organization.All the killing happening at the farm will bump into the wedding, the celebration, and the soldiers, but in the meantime, the family and friends party endlessly. Finally, Baker’s brother Stevie (Gabriel Camero) shows up and has two scenes that get the action started. So, there’s a long stretch of the movie informing us repeatedly that the bad guys are really bad, and that the carousing soldiers might be in for a really bad night.
The movie has two things going for it. After all those years starring in the hit TV show “24,” Kiefer Sutherland can do military operator action like falling off a log. Secondly, the action itself is fine—it’s just that by the time “Brothers Under Fire” gets to the action, one’s mind has long since left the building. It’s disappointing, because as we know from “Sicario,” the concept of U.S. military operators going up against Mexican drug cartels can make for an extremely exciting movie.
