May 05, 2009

Action-Adventure! Mysticism! History!  These exciting elements continue to enthrall movie lovers as evidenced by the popularity of mystic thrillers such as The Da Vinci Code and fact-based action war dramas like Defiance.

Now one more film will take its place among the genre: Brother's War, an unusual WW2 saga that blends action, adventure and mysticism will make its debut on DVD on May 26th.  Joining the ranks of distinctive WWII films released this past year, Brother's War tells the story of two officers, one German and the other British, who discover that they share a common bond in Freemasonry, empowering them to work together to prevent the USSR from taking over Eastern Europe. MTI Video will handle distribution for the film which is directed by Jerry Buteyn (The Doers of Coming Deeds) and stars writer/producer Tino Struckmann, Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) and European action star Olivier Gruner.

Inspired by actual events, the film is set in the final days of the war on the Eastern front as Soviet and Allied armies battled their way into a defeated Germany.  A British officer attached to the Red Army uncovers secrets that could destroy the allies' unity and find himself imprisoned by Stalin's brutish intelligence service. In the camp, he meets a German officer and the two discover they share a sacred bond - they are both members of the Freemasons, a fraternal society based on honor, oath and secrets. After escaping from the camp with idealistic young nurse Anna, they find themselves pursued by both sides because of the enormous import of the secrets they now are entrusted with.

Struckmann and co-writer Warren Lewis (Black Rain, The 13th Warrior) didn't want to make just another standard war movie - they were determined to show the real events that unfolded in war-torn Poland in a way not previously seen on screen. An intense commitment to accuracy resulted in the use of more than seven different types of Russian, German and U.S. WWII vehicles including tanks, jeeps and trucks.  Great attention was paid to historical details by a highly experienced group of technical advisors to the cast, which included over 80 "special ability" extras trained in weapons handling and stunts.

Another unique feature of the film is the use of the Red Rock M2 cinema lens system that adds depth to the visual effects via High Definition cameras using 35 mm cinema lenses. This gives Brother's War the look of film but with all the advantages of HD; additionally the sound was digitally captured direct to a hard drive providing unparalleled audio clarity. The film features an impressive score from veteran composer Christopher Ward (Pearl Harbor, Speed).

Brother’s War will  also premier on DVD in Japan on June 5, 2009 via distributors AMG and Taki Corporation.