The Devil and the Daylong Brothers review
A singular, genre blending experience.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
The Devil and the Daylong Brothers
Directed by Brandon McCormick
Written by Brandon McCormick
Starring Brendan Bradley, Nican Robinson, Jordon Bolden, Rainey Qualley, Keith Carradine, Mark Ashworth and Brad Carter
The Devil and the Daylong Brothers Review
Anytime you hear someone say that there are no original movies anymore…assume that person doesn’t watch independent films. That’s where you’ll find the risk takers. Studios take risks too, of course…but they are slaves to the bottom line and as soon as one of those risks blows up in their faces they run to the shelter of sequels and reboots faster than you can say a word you can say really quickly. The Devil and the Daylong Brothers is one for the people who like to see some risks taken. It defies genre classification because it’s the film equivalent of filling your cup by pushing every button on a soda machine. If you find that sort of thing tasty, at least.
IMDB lists The Devil and the Daylong Brothers as an action/comedy. They aren’t wrong. Both of those genres are heavily represented. They are, however, missing out on some key pieces of what the movie includes. It’s also a drama. And a supernatural fantasy horror story. With some funny moments. As well as being a road trip movie. About revenge. There are probably more…but that’s enough to get a discussion rolling.
Three brothers from different mothers, Ishmael (Brendan Bradley), Enoch (Nican Robinson) and Abraham (Jordon Bolden), are on a mission to find the father who souled their souls to the devil. They sing and shoot their way across the American south…collecting souls in hopes of finding the man who damned them before they were even born.
Let’s pause a moment to look at that plot summary again. It’s amazing. Yes, it’s a violent revenge thriller set in a supernatural story. Yes, it’s a family drama with a few laughs thrown in. And…yes…it’s a musical. Right off the bat it’s surprising to see a movie blend together so many concepts. The Devil and the Daylong Brothers biggest surprise, however, is how well all those ideas fit together in this particular story. The moments feel right at home. Even though each turn risks taking you out of it.
Even with the eclectic mix of genre ideas, The Devil and the Daylong Brothers sticks to a somehow appropriate Southern Gothic aesthetic. It feels like its setting…and grounds itself despite repeated flights of fancy. That does affect the pacing somewhat. Given how prone to genre shifts it is…The Devil and the Daylong Brothers chooses to stay in a lower gear. It’s an interesting deal. Doing so is the likely reason its unique blend works so well…and yet shootouts and songs both unfold at a slower pace than you’d expect. In the end, it’s all a part of the movie’s charm.
As the brothers’ journey across the south, they run into several unsavory characters. They even pick up a hostage/helper in Frankie (Rainey Qualley) who is uniquely qualified in driving rifts between the brothers. She also claims to be able to lead them to their father. If anything she says can be trusted, that is.
The Devil and the Daylong Brothers presents an easy-to-follow lore and deeply seeds it into its unique world. We learn information as it rolls on…and we learn a lot more about our lead characters. That’s what happens between shootouts and song breaks. By now you’re probably asking about that musical aspect of The Devil and the Daylong Brothers. It fits in way better than you’d expect it too. We meet the brothers as they’re on a mission in a local tavern…each getting a turn to sing their introduction as a credit accompanies them on screen. It should be jarring…but like everything else the movie blends…it blends it well.
The songs are solid too. I’m not the best judge of these things…but I enjoyed the numbers and the fact that they weren’t present to overshadow the characters or the story. They’re simply a part of the package. Necessary to make The Devil and the Daylong Brothers into the unique production that it is.
It’s a long road for the Daylong Brothers to their ultimate goal. There’s enough here to have filled an HBO mini-series. There’s even enough left on the table to commission a second one. The actors are universally strong. Their dramatic purpose is engaging from start to finish. Qualley’s Frankie adds something new to the mix as their road trip is continuously derailed. There’s blood, violence, heart, music and mayhem. A unique mix. And, in the end, a tasty one.
Scare Value
When I say “genre blending” I mean literally throwing genres into a blender and serving the strange mixture that comes out of it. A musical, action, comedy, horror, road trip fantasy film that isn’t afraid to throw any idea at you at any moment. It could have used a quicker pace… but those blended genres strangely all fit with The Devil and the Daylong Brothers slow, southern style. More stories in this world would be welcomed.
3.5/5
The Devil and the Daylong Brothers Links
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