The Brothers Rico

The Brothers Rico

Year: 1957

Runtime: 92 mins

Language: English

Director: Phil Karlson

Crime

Three fugitives and the women they love are hunted. Eddie Rico, once the bookkeeper for a powerful Mafia boss, has rebuilt his life as a respectable merchant in Florida with his family. When police begin tracking his brothers—mob associates on the run after a major hit—Eddie is compelled to return to the criminal world he thought he’d leave behind.

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Timeline & Setting – The Brothers Rico (1957)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Brothers Rico (1957). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1950s

The movie is set in the 1950s, a decade marked by post-war prosperity, the rise of organized crime, and the beginning of the Cold War era. This period saw increased migration to urban centers, a focus on traditional family values, and the expansion of the American criminal underworld, which heavily influences the film’s themes of loyalty and crime.

Location

Bayshore, Florida, Miami, St. Louis, New York City, El Camino, California, Phoenix, Florida, New York

The movie takes place in various locations across the United States, predominantly in Bayshore, Florida, which is portrayed as a prosperous coastal town. Other key locations include Miami, a vibrant city known for its nightlife and cultural diversity; St. Louis, recognized for its historical significance and riverfront; and New York City, a major metropolitan hub. The story also explores rural California and the desert city of Phoenix, highlighting contrast in settings from urban to rural environments.

🌴 Coastal 🌆 Urban 🚢 Port City 🏙️ Metropolitan 🌄 Rustic

Last Updated: August 19, 2025 at 05:02

Main Characters – The Brothers Rico (1957)

Meet the key characters of The Brothers Rico (1957), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Eddie Rico (Richard Conte)

Eddie is a morally conflicted man who has left crime behind to embrace a legitimate business and family life. Despite his efforts to escape the criminal world, his past continually threatens his present. He demonstrates resilience and a strong sense of loyalty, risking everything to protect his loved ones and seek justice.

💼 Lawyer 💔 Family-oriented 🔒 Loyal

Johnny Rico (James Darren)

Johnny is Eddie’s younger brother, involved with the mob, but secretly seeking a better life for his family. His desire to leave crime and start anew underscores his hope for a simpler, honest existence. His tragic end emphasizes the destructive power of organized crime.

🕵️‍♂️ Mobster 🤰 Family man 🚶‍♂️ Tragic

Gino Rico (Paul Picerni)

Gino is Johnny's brother, who is deeply entangled in mob violence and feels trapped by his past actions. His desperation and guilt highlight the moral complexities faced by those involved in organized crime, and his attempt to escape underscores his desire for redemption.

☠️ Gangster 😔 Guilt 🏃‍♂️ Fleeing

Alice Rico (Dianne Foster)

Alice is Eddie’s wife, a caring and devoted mother-to-be who worries about her family’s safety as her husband's past threatens their future. Her concern for her husband and unborn child emphasizes the importance of family loyalty and safety amid dangerous circumstances.

👩‍👧 Family 💖 Caring 🛡️ Protective

Sid Kubik (Larry Gates)

Sid is a powerful mob boss who manipulates Eddie for his own gain while presenting himself as a benevolent figure. His dual role as the patriarch of the criminal organization underscores themes of authority, manipulation, and betrayal.

👔 Boss 🎭 Manipulative 🔥 Ruthless

Last Updated: August 19, 2025 at 05:02

Major Themes – The Brothers Rico (1957)

Explore the central themes of The Brothers Rico (1957), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔫 Loyalty

Loyalty is a central theme, especially among family and friends caught in the criminal underworld. The characters' bonds are tested as allegiance conflicts emerge, and the importance of trust and betrayal plays a critical role in their fates. Eddie’s struggle to protect his family from mob influence highlights the complex nature of loyalty in a world rife with danger.

⚖️ Justice

The movie explores the pursuit of justice as Eddie decides to stand against the syndicate, risking his life to testify and bring down organized crime. It portrays the moral dilemma of choosing legality over loyalty to the criminal world, emphasizing themes of redemption and sacrifice.

Last Updated: August 19, 2025 at 05:02

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about an inescapable past like The Brothers Rico

Characters hunted by their former lives, seeking a redemption that feels just out of reach.If you liked the tense struggle in The Brothers Rico, explore more movies where characters are hunted by their former lives. These stories feature reformed criminals, ex-assassins, and others desperately trying to protect their new lives from the shadows they thought they'd escaped.

paranoiddesperatesuspensefulclaustrophobicmelancholictensefatalistic

Narrative Summary

These narratives typically begin with a fragile peace that is shattered by the re-emergence of a past threat. The protagonist is forced to use old skills or confront old allegiances to protect their new world, leading to a steady escalation of danger and moral compromise. The journey is often one of tragic sacrifice, testing the limits of loyalty and the price of redemption.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the 'one last job' or 'past comes calling' trope, combined with a tense, paranoid mood and high emotional stakes. They explore the theme that some pasts are cages, and true escape requires a devastating final confrontation.

Tense family loyalty dramas like The Brothers Rico

Stories where the bonds of family are tested by extreme external pressure and moral conflict.Find more movies similar to The Brothers Rico that explore the intense pressure on family bonds. These films focus on husbands, wives, and siblings forced into moral dilemmas, where protecting one member might mean betraying another, all set against a backdrop of crime and suspense.

anxiousdesperateheavysuspensefulresignedemotionalmoral conflict

Narrative Summary

The plot hinges on a threat that forces family members to confront their values and allegiances. The story explores the sacrifices made for love and blood, often pitting the safety of the immediate family (like a wife and child) against obligations to the wider family (like brothers or a crime syndicate). The pacing is steady, building tension as the characters' options narrow and the consequences of their choices become irreversible.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their heavy emotional weight, driven by the theme of family loyalty as both a strength and a vulnerability. They share a tense, anxious mood and a straightforward narrative structure that focuses intensely on character decisions under duress.

Unlock the Full Story of The Brothers Rico

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Brothers Rico in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Brothers Rico is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Brothers Rico Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Brothers Rico, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Brothers Rico Summary

The Brothers Rico Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Brothers Rico with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Brothers Rico Timeline

The Brothers Rico Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Brothers Rico Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Brothers Rico

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