coriolanus movie review

I had the pleasure of seeing Ralph Fiennes's "Coriolanus" at the St. Louis International Film Festival, on Nov 11th, 2011. It's genre writing that entertains while tapping into enduring truths. One of the pleasures of Fiennes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan (" Hugo," " Gladiator ") makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible. Shakespearean language is delivered as if it was everyday speech. Now we have Ralph Fiennes directing and starring in "Coriolanus," one of the Roman tragedies, where the feral and discontented general is at war in "a place calling itself Rome." ...brilliant variations on the theme of nausea. Fiennes gave this … I was on the edge of my seat through the entire film. By Rich Cline. Fiennes, an actor who can remake himself, is here lean and muscular, his head shaven, his neck a muscular trunk displaying a dragon tattoo. While not a Shakespeare buff, I was drawn into Fiennes' directing debut, and found this modern update to be well worth watching. Nominated for Outstanding Debut Feature at Cinema Eye Honors, Celebrate The HistoryMakers 20@2020: 20 Days and 20 Nights Streams Online Through December 20th, The Mandalorian Chapter 15 Recap: Those Poor Mudscuffers. Parents need to know that while it might be tempting to introduce teens to Shakespeare with this movie -- Coriolanus is adapted from one of The Bard's lesser-known plays -- the movie's somewhat modern wartime setting means that there's lots of strong, bloody violence, including guns and shootings, knife fights, hand-to-hand fights, and dead bodies. There is a reason most of the sentences in action dialogue are not more than a few words long. PLOT: ... For those of you wondering how much action Fiennes was able to work into the film, pretty much the entire first act of the film … Starring Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave and Jessica Chastain. Pushed by his ambitious mother to seek the position of consul, Coriolanus is at odds … He carries an AK-47. A powerful and relevant Shakespeare adaptation that firecely brings the story to life. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Why is Coriolanus rated R? It depicts the main character's journey from a battle-worn soldier to exile, to an enemy of the state. Shakespeare's story involves a Roman who cares more about battle than about politics. Directed by Ralph Fiennes. Caius Martius Coriolanus (Fiennes, who, make no mistake, is a great actor) is an up-and-coming Roman leader, and we meet him as he’s being further decorated and empowered, surrounded by his ambitious mother, Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), and his deferential, lovely wife, Virgilia, played by the soon-to-be-overexposed Jessica Chastain, who is very good in this. To be clear, this is an action movie based on Shakespeare's play, Coriolanus. It's creative yet difficult to understand, and definitely not for general audiences, who are likely only to digest the visual violence. He is, alas, not a diplomatic politician (it's unwise to hold the people in contempt). GENRE. To be clear, this is an action movie based on Shakespeare's play, Coriolanus. Coriolanus, 2011. Don't have an account? Is this Shakespeare's hero? This does not come off always but it does work a surprising amount of the time. The modernization of the play is well executed, but it should be noted that the speech style follows Shakespearian literature. Watch Coriolanus movie trailer and get the latest cast info, photos, movie review and more on TVGuide.com. What's the question Shakespeare has Coriolanus ask about public opinion? Coriolanus fails to successfully create a believable environment for this verbose narrative to exist. The modernization of the play is well executed, but it should be noted that the speech style follows Shakespearian literature. Coriolanus is a determinedly grim but smart, resonant film, faithful to the tone of the original, done with some skill and conviction. It's because it is riddled with one dimensional characters that have no arc whatsoever. This isn't because of the language, it is as always beautiful, perhaps lacking in flashes of iconic genius, but still beautiful. Caius Martinus Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes) is Rome's greatest general; his unpopularity skyrockets with the "common people" when he utilizes his power and influence to prevent them from having open access to the city's grain stores. This is another BRAVEHEART. Movie Review | 'Coriolanus' He’s the Hero of the People, and He Hates It Ralph Fiennes, the director and star of “Coriolanus,” talks about adapting Shakespeare’s play for the screen. Fiennes, who previously played the title role in a celebrated London theatre, makes a suitably haughty and intense Coriolanus, while Vanessa Redgrave is in terrific form as the general's influential mother. While it is not a masterpiece, 2020 Toronto International Film Festival Preview Read More; What to Watch on FandangoNOW: Disney’s ‘Mulan,’ RZA’s ‘Cut Throat City,’ Ruby Rose in ‘The Doorman’ and More Read More; This Week in Movie News: Doctor Strange Joins ‘Spider-Man 3,’ Slinky Movie in the Works and More Read More It depicts the main character's journey from a battle-worn soldier to exile, to an enemy of the state. Long ranked as one of the least accessible entries in the Shakespearean canon, ‘Coriolanus’ arrives on the big screen for the first time in this ferocious twent Banished from Rome, he joins forces with his former Volscian enemy, Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler), and they attack it. Vanessa Redgrave is magnificent in Ralph Fiennes’s first feature, a film adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. For him, Coriolanus was the name of the speaker of his words. As a first-time film director, Ralph Fiennes updates Shakespeare’s Coriolanus into a brutal tale of modern warfare (think The Hurt Locker, which shares a cinematographer in … Coriolanus is a determinedly grim but smart, resonant film, faithful to the tone of the original, done with some skill and conviction. In addition to taking the title role, Fiennes makes his directorial debut. The performances are uniformly excellent, and Fiennes owns the role of Coriolanus, conceiving of him as a proto-Kurtz with his descent into wilfully renegade activities. MOVIE REVIEW: With Coriolanus, Ralph Fiennes takes one of Shakespeare's last and least-understood plays and drags it kicking, screaming and bleeding into the present day. "Coriolanus" will ideally be seen in English. Mr. 2020 Toronto International Film Festival Preview Read More; What to Watch on FandangoNOW: ‘The Grizzlies,’ ’Antebellum,’ Pro Football Movies and More Read More; This Week in Movie News: ‘Borat’ Sequel is Coming Soon, Neve Campbell Officially Joins ‘Scream 5’ … It goes for a more natural style where the action is blended with the environment and the dialogue is acted out rather than recited. Who is to say that "Coriolanus" might not as well be set in the Middle East as in Rome — neither a place Shakespeare had ever seen? This additional information about the movie’s content is taken from the notes of various Canadian Film Classification boards: Violence: - Violent acts shown in a realistic manner, with detail, blood and tissue damage. His extreme views ignite a mass riot. Sign up here. When he prevails, he's given the honorary title "Coriolanus," returns home and at the urging of his strong-willed mother, Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), runs for Consul. The acting in CORIOLANUS is absolutely fantastic. How we rate movies. One of the pleasures of Fiennes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan ("Hugo," "Gladiator") makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Coriolanus Review By Amy Curtis 9 years ago Ralph Fiennes did what few have been able to do in the past; he made Shakespeare ’s Coriolanus interesting. Fiennes seems to have opted for a subject a little too close to his heart, and this in turn has clouded his directorial judgement. It currently holds an approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 7.38/10. In Coriolanus he creates a film first and a Shakespeare film second. Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays and with good reason. "What's the matter, you dissentious rogues/That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion/Make yourselves scabs?". Featured Movie News. Fiennes is fantastic, the music is stellar, the modernization is pure pleasure, and since the whole story is about the meanings of self-abasement you know I am there. I realize I savor Shakespeare in a different way than the typical Friday night action fan — who, lured by the violence and ferocity of the hard-boiled trailer and TV ads, will perhaps wonder why everyone is talking so strangely. Cast: Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgravevisit http://www.hollywood.com for movie info. Mr. Fiennes pulls it off triumphantly. Needless to say, the filming, production values, etc., were fantastic; but it was the relevance of the film … Centuries after he's been gone Shakespeare remains a remarkably relevant writer. This is all done well by Fiennes, but as a man who starred in this play 10 years ago in London, he has deeper feelings for it, and the key scenes are those between Coriolanus and his mother, to whom he seems more romantically attached than to his wife, Virgilia (Jessica Chastain). Ralph Fiennes's direction is flawless. Fiennes makes a powerful case for Coriolanus as an essential, contemporary drama, about democracy, class war and the nation state. Coriolanus relents, but tragedy results. In Film Reviews . Copyright © Fandango. It's one of his worst. The best movies to watch . The direction is incredible. While setting Shakespeare in modern times is nothing new, Fiennes' bruising, brutal take is both refreshing in its honesty and true to the Bard's spirit. Synopsis Nature teaches beasts to know their friends. For him, Coriolanus was the name of the speaker of his words. The walls are covered with graffiti, grenade launchers replace swords, and we get the obligatory shot of warriors being blown toward us with an explosion blossoming behind. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". All rights reserved. In the 1995 film version of "Richard III," for instance, Ian McKellen was cast as a fascist dictator of the 1930s. Warfare has cut off Rome's food supplies, there's rioting in the streets, and he leaves to join the siege of the enemy city Corioles. Fieness has chosen and used the material well. The website's critical consensus states: "Visceral and visually striking, Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus proves Shakespeare can still be both electrifying and relevant in a modern context." Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. Only his mother can persuade him to lay down his arms. Soul! The costumes, art direction and props could be used for an action film about most modern wars, including that in Bosnia, and indeed the film was shot on location in Belgrade. Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this dramatic thriller about the revered and feared General Coriolanus' revenge on the city of Rome following his banishment. Forgot your password? Apart from the infinite varieties of the human face, there are no sights in "Coriolanus" I'm not familiar with. I imagine him alone in a room, writing by candlelight, intoxicated by language. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! I. Fiennes' choice to adapt the play as a modern political power struggle is sometimes successful in its union of Shakespeare's prose to contemporary sociopolitical unrest, but also reveals itself to be a stale, pale echo of the bard's original play. This is a passion project for the award-winning British actor. Modern-dress productions of his plays are common and can inspire intriguing viewpoints. As Shakespeare, it has too much action footage (Coriolanus' face seems permanently streaked with blood), and as action, it has too much Shakespeare. January 19, 2012 by: Chris Bumbray. Coriolanus received positive reviews. Coriolanus Review. Why Fiennes chose to use Shakespearean text is confusing, especially when he must have known that Coriolanus isn't the most recognisable of Shakespeare's plays. The play Coriolanus transpired around 500 B.C., but the time period of the movie has been rendered irrelevant. Coriolanus, review. Coriolanus: film review – BBC, 1983 In 1983, as part of the sixth and penultimate season of their Complete Works of Shakespeare series, the BBC filmed Coriolanus . Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. London Theater Review: ‘Coriolanus’ Starring Tom Hiddleston A scorching Tom Hiddleston leads director Josie Rourke's tense, revelatory staging of … Movies. Coriolanus does not feel like the work of a first-time director. I admired the movie even though I found it neither fish nor fowl. I suppose the action is the price Fiennes had to pay to do the Shakespeare, because a film this expensive must appeal to the masses. Featured Movie News. The point with Shakespeare is the language. Review: Coriolanus. It's a masterful piece of work that would be a real achievement for any director, let alone one making his debut. Did Shakespeare envision Coriolanus in Greco-Roman draperies? “Coriolanus,” the last play Shakespeare is known to have written solo, is eternally timely in its depiction of the dangers democracy faces at its extremes. He's made a historical curiosity relevant now, when our cities are in uproar and the citizens have taken to the streets. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy It reaches back to … I would have enjoyed more, because such actors as Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Cox let the words roll trippingly off the tongue. Coriolanus is rated R by the MPAA for some bloody violence. Coriolanus is a Shakespearean tragedy that dealt directly with Roman politics, not the best play that Shakespeare wrote, but still unique in its own right. Coriolanus is unexpectedly well-played. and the Terms and Policies, Yes, you have to be an active listener, but the way these actors make the language so passionate and accessible truly is an accomplishment. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. Actor-director Fiennes sets Shakespeare's military tragedy in a modern-day war setting, which gives it a meaty kick of recognition. Yes, it's Shakespeare. Transfer this story to "a place calling itself Rome," add the trappings and the suits of modern warfare, supply updates from cable news, and you have a movie which is not so much about the private patrician scorn of Coriolanus as it is about the motivation of most action heroes, which is to strut in macho display, inspire slaughter and mayhem, and provide reaction shots when things blow up real good. Coriolanus movie reviews & Metacritic score: Caius Martius ‘Coriolanus', a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Most problematic is Coriolanus. Caius Martius, aka Coriolanus, is an arrogant and fearsome general who has built a career on protecting Rome from its enemies. More than half of the film's box-office revenue will come from overseas, where the film will be dubbed, and longer speeches are trickier to dub. 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