Heath Ledger’s Divisive Dark Fantasy Flop That’s “A Violent Action Vehicle” Is Making a Comeback on Streaming

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While it’s not a classic like The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger’s often-overlooked action fantasy, The Brothers Grimm, is gaining popularity on streaming. Ledger is most famous for his iconic role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, and he also starred in well-known films like 10 Things I Hate About You, Brokeback Mountain, and A Knight’s Tale. However, The Brothers Grimm, another fantasy film he made earlier in his career, didn’t receive the same level of recognition – until now. It’s currently trending and worth checking out.

After initially failing at the box office 20 years ago, The Brothers Grimm is now a huge hit on Netflix. Currently, it’s the eighth most popular movie on the streaming platform worldwide. The 2005 film, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Heath Ledger, Matt Damon, Peter Stormare, Monica Bellucci, Lena Headey, and Jonathan Pryce, seemed like a sure thing. However, both viewers and critics weren’t captivated by its unique take on the classic Grimm’s fairytales.

The Brothers Grimm takes the iconic pair of German writers and transforms them into conmen in a world filled with the very fairytale stories the real Grimm brothers wrote about. Ledger and Damon play the two brothers, who con people by pretending to solve their “paranormal” problems. But when they’re hired to eradicate a spectral evil that turns out to be very real, they find themselves way over their heads. The official synopsis reads:

I’m a huge fan of dark fairy tales, and ‘The Brothers Grimm’ is right up my alley. The movie centers around Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm – they’re not exactly noble heroes, more like con artists traveling from town to town pretending to exorcise demons. But things get interesting when they meet a creepy guy named Cavaldi who sends them on a real case: a French general asks them to investigate the disappearance of ten young women. As they dig deeper, even the skeptical Wilhelm and the more sensitive Jacob start to suspect there might actually be something magical – and genuinely evil – going on. It’s a really clever twist on the classic Grimm stories!

‘The Brothers Grimm’ Is One of Heath Ledger’s Most Divisive Movies


Miramax

Many people enjoy The Brothers Grimm as a lighthearted fantasy adventure – and I’m one of them. However, when it first came out, critics weren’t impressed. Currently, the film has a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and general audiences only gave it a slightly better score of 39%.

One viewer said the movie was confused, trying to be both a silly comedy and an action-packed thriller, and gave it a low rating. Others were even harsher, with one person expressing regret that actors Heath Ledger and Matt Damon appeared in such a poorly-made film.

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2025-11-19 03:32