Sometimes even a well-worn plot idea can be boosted to create a fine film on the strength of the performances alone. That's certainly the case in the new Danish film, "Brothers," directed by Susanne Bier.

Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) is the good brother; the one with the good job (jeez, he's a soldier, even), a beautiful wife, three lovely young daughters, two loving parents and a wonderful home (even if the kitchen needs some work).

As the film opens, Michael is picking up his brother Jannik (Nikolaj Kass) from -- you guessed it -- prison, where he was serving a term for the violent robbery of a bank, that left one female victim shattered.

We've seen the good brother/bad brother story before and of course a good vs. evil conflict figures in nearly every film. So, don't be surprised when "Brothers" fails to avoid the trap of predictability.

But you may be surprised by the fact that you don't much care. That's how good the performances are by Thomsen, Lie Kass and by American actress Connie Nielsen, who plays Michael's wife Sarah.

That Nielsen is so powerful is bolstered by the fact that she needed Danish lessons to be able to appear in the film at all.

When he's released from jail, Jannik is hardly welcomed back. His nieces and sister-in-law are skeptical of him and his father could hardly be less enthused to have him around, especially when he's compared to his angelic brother Michael, who is soon deployed to Afghanistan to help find a missing soldier.

While Michael is away, Jannik becomes a part of the family -- despite lingering skepticism about his character -- finishing up the work on the kitchen and playing with the kids. He also grows close to Sarah during a major crisis.

But, as you'd expect, as the film unfolds it becomes harder and harder to pigeonhole the brothers as "good" and "bad," because, after all, they're human and we all make mistakes.

Kass never overplays the troubled brother and caresses the difficult transformation into a good guy. Thomsen is similarly adept at navigating the moral issues faced by Michael at home and in Afghanistan.

Try to avoid guessing the plot turns, because you'll be disappointed to find you can predict them pretty well and focus instead on the intense performances and fine photography and "Brothers" will not disappoint.

"Brothers" opens Friday, Sept. 23 at The Times Cinema.