This unusual mix of youth drama, thriller and social commentary is often lumped in with the blaxploitation wave of the 1970's. While Together Brothers does have the streetwise sensibility and the soul-music soundtrack of such films, it actually has more to offer. The script mixes several genres to create a novel, effective hybrid that offers surprises around every corner. It's also unique for offering credibly drawn, sympathetic inner-city teen heroes without lapsing into sentimentality or stereotype. These characterizations also benefit from sharp, naturalistic performances by an amateur cast: Ahmad Nurradin offers an appealing mix of resourcefulness and bravery as the gang's leader and Anthony Wilson delivers a marvelously expressive turn without the benefit of dialogue as the little brother who witnesses a murder. Amongst the adult cast members, Ed Bernard is both charming and authoritative as the cop the kids secretly admire and Glynn Turman has a brief but vividly drawn and charismatic role as a doctor trying to help the film's brother/hero duo. Veteran t.v. director William A. Graham does a fine job with the material, giving it style while retaining a convincing level of grit to the film's narrative concerns (the scenes involving the killer are hair-raising stuff). The final feather in the film's cap is an excellent musical score by Barry White, which effectively blends orchestral lushness with a propulsive rhythm-and-blues underpinning. In short, Together Brothers is a well-crafted little gem that is worthy of rediscovery by both blaxploitation fans and anyone interested in the more daring fringes of 1970's commercial filmmaking.