This Fantastic New Southern Gothic Musical Is Like A Cross Between ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou’ And ‘Angel Heart’

The Devil and the Daylong Brothers takes the epic journey and musical aspects of O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000), combines them with the Southern Gothic and neo-noir elements of Angel Heart (1987), and creates something magnificent.

The film tells the tale of the Daylong brothers, three biblically-named half-brothers who are on a quest for revenge. You see, before they were born, their father Nehemiah Daylong (Keith Carradine) sold their souls to the Devil. As adults, the Daylong boys made a deal of their own, acting as bounty hunters for the Father of Lies in exchange for their Nehemiah’s location. But the Daylongs are betrayed, and their only hope of finding the revenge they seek is by enlisting the aid of someone whose presence threatens to expose the cracks in their brotherhood.

Brandon McCormick directed The Devil and the Daylong Brothers. The story was co-written by Brandon McCormick and Nicholas Kirk, and Kirk wrote the music for the film. The movie stars Brendan Bradley, Nican Robinson, and Jordon Bolden as the Daylong brothers, and Rainey Qualley plays a femme fatale who joins the brothers on their journey.

Movie Review

The Devil and the Daylong Brothers is a fantastic blending of different styles and genres. The story feels like a Southern Gothic fable inspired by the devilish legend of iconic blues musician Robert Johnson. The plot also incorporates aspects from other genres including road movies, revenge tales, neo-noir, action, and, of course, musicals. Amazingly, it all works together fantastically.

The movie’s presentation is a huge factor in why the movie is so good. The visual aesthetic is stylized in a way that looks like it leapt out of the pages of a graphic novel, with each frame looking like a panel out of a comic book. It’s beautiful to watch. It’s also pleasant on the ears, because the musical numbers are all earworms that will likely have you seeking out the full soundtrack to listen to on repeat.

As fun as the movie is, the reason it resonates so strongly is because there is true emotion running through all of the action. The relationships between the brothers are tested, and as they get closer to their goal, their taste for revenge changes in different ways. And it’s all capped off with a haunting final musical number.