In a perfect world, there would be no need for remakes. And what a world it would be. In that glorious dimension, there would be room for only one Death at a Funeral for instance, and if you wanted to see it again, then you would simply watch the same film twice.

Also in this perfect world, everyone would embrace foreign language films and the subtlety of the subtitle. Still to this very day however, the majority of English-speaking film-goers have a problem with reading words on a film screen. In truth, it’s very much their loss, as Hollywood far from has the monopoly on classic cinema.

This leads to filmmakers catering to their utter laziness, by remaking foreign films for a domestic US audience. Surely if an audience isn’t prepared to sit through a story that isn’t told in English, they shouldn’t be pandered to with an English remake? The usual argument is that if a good story is worth telling, then it’s worth telling to a wider audience. For the sake of this film in particular, it’s difficult not to agree, especially when you take on board the talent involved.

Irish director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) uses the original Danish film Brødre as a template on which to imbue a pertinent US socio-political storyline.

Sam (Tobey Maguire) is a thirty-something Captain in the US army, married to his high school sweetheart Grace (Natalie Portman), with two adorable daughters. He is just about to do a tour of Afghanistan, but before he goes, he has to pick up his wayward brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) from prison. As this act suggests, these brothers as polar opposite from each other as you can get.

With Sam away fighting for his country, Tommy attempts to not only get back in the good books of his father (Sam Shepherd) but also to be of some support to Grace by helping decorate her kitchen.

It’s not long before Grace gets that dreaded knock at the door, with two men in uniform standing there. News of Sam’s death acts as a catalyst between Tommy and Grace, as their friendship develops. A devastating bombshell soon drops upon them all however that changes everything.

After rather bizarrely directing the 50 cent vehicle Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Sheridan returns to far more familiar and agreeable territory. It would be too easy to dismiss this film for being merely a triangular love story. At its heart it’s a detailed examination of an extended family having to cope with the many traumas of war.

With Shepherd’s character being a Vietnam vet, this film slightly differs from the original in its dynamic by having two generations of soldiers in the one family. This helps to solidify the relationship with his soldier son Sam, as well as distance the one he has with Tommy. In doing so it creates an extra element of noticeable tension and drama.

What the film also allows is both Maguire and Gyllenhaal to flex their acting muscles. Despite their careers being on seemingly two different paths (Maguire has just hung up his spidey outfit, whilst Gyllenhaal has slapt on the fake tan and buffed up for the recent possible franchise Prince of Persia), the pair certainly know how to get their hands dirty with meatier roles. They give hope that their generation haven’t given up the ghost on serious acting just yet.

But Sheridan doesn’t just get sharp and intuitive performances from his male leads; Shepherd doesn’t have to do much, but what he does do is deceptively raw. Mare Winningham, who plays his wife, also manages to give her supporting role real depth and emotion.

Where Sheridan really earns his director’s badge is in the two performances he gleans from the youngest members of the cast. Taylor Geare and Bailee Madison play the young daughters of Tom and Grace. Sheridan manages to avoid the usual cutesy and overbearing take and gets the actresses to exude truly impressive and natural deliveries, the likes of which are very rare indeed.

It has to be said that as remakes go, like all remakes, Brothers wasn’t necessary at all. The Danish original is still compelling and demands to be seen. Sheridan’s version however shouldn’t be dismissed that easily though. It lends itself well to a US setting, making it just as poignant and possibly even more pertinent.

It also manages to stand well on its own two feet by being almost a master class in dramatic acting. It doesn’t matter if the material is original or not when you have a cast that are prepared to dig deep and give their collective all to a gripping story. Brothers could easily have gone the way of a movie of the week, but Sheridan steered it into far bolder waters.

Brothers acts as a reminder that there are filmmakers and actors out there who really care about their art. It also proves that all those involved are well and truly on top of their game.