Arts and Entertainment your connection to The Boston Globe  As
revenge thrillers go, 'Brothers' is sweet and sour  If you
haven't figured out that ''Four Brothers," the new John
Singleton film, is an intentionally scrappy throwback to
mid-'70s action flicks, the scene in which the Mercer brothers'
childhood home is shot up by gangsters should set you straight.
As wood splinters go flying, windows shatter, and cherished
framed photos bite the dust, Singleton treats us to a shot of a
vintage vinyl record player shuddering in its death throes. Have
these villains no shame?  On one level, ''Four Brothers"
represents a distinct comedown for the director of the socially
conscious ''Boyz N the Hood" and ''Baby Boy" and producer of the
art-house hit ''Hustle & Flow." It's not even as slick as his
2000 remake of ''Shaft" or his perfunctory sequel duties on ''2
Fast 2 Furious." A nominal inner-city rehash of the 1965 John
Wayne western ''The Sons of Katie Elder," ''Brothers" is a faux-
low-budget revenge thriller, pure