Brothers by Blood

When you’re trying to affectionately showcase your setting, as in Brothers by Blood, it’s best to incorporate a story that distinguishes your city of choice.

Instead, this formulaic crime drama seems to suggest that Philadelphia gangsters aren’t much different from their counterparts in any other American city, and thus, unworthy of our interest.

Peter (Matthias Schoenaerts) has experienced the dark side of organized crime since he was a child, when a family tragedy led to an act of brutal revenge perpetrated by his alcoholic father (Ryan Phillippe, shown in flashbacks).

Decades later, Peter remains socially withdrawn and tries to distance himself from his past through his involvement at a local boxing gym. Trouble arises when his hot-tempered cousin, Michael (Joel Kinnaman) begins to rise through the ranks of the family enterprise.

As Michael’s financial desperation grows, leading to an ill-advised purchase of a racehorse, Peter’s patience with him wears thin. Threats of betrayal test their loyalty as a showdown in the streets seems inevitable.

The street signs and landmarks might be different, but these are basically the same violent yet sensitive mobster types — boiling down to a turf war among the Irish and the Italians — that we’ve seen countless times before.

Mumbling aside, the performances bring more depth and complexity than the film deserves. Beneath his character’s bravado, Schoenaerts (The Mustang) conveys the vulnerability of a man haunted by grief and guilt.

Indeed, the rapport between its lead characters helps to establish a level of authenticity, although the film struggles to generate a deeper rooting interest for these unscrupulous rogues.

Perhaps the film deserves credit for a more character-driven approach that doesn’t rely on shootouts and back-alley confrontations. However, the screenplay by French director Jeremie Guez — based on a Pete Dexter novel — is overwhelmed by cliches and stereotypes.

Neither gritty nor evocative, Brothers by Blood might be most noteworthy for its multiple re-cuts and title changes during post-production. The resulting choppiness includes a tacked-on romantic subplot and other narrative dead-ends.

At any rate, the decision to dial back the action in favor of introspective brooding and macho posturing renders the film more tedious than thrilling.

Rated R, 89 minutes.