Coriolanus (2011)
Review by Jude Felton
When I was a wee youngster I, along with countless
others, studied to some degree the works of Shakespeare. With me it was, shall
we say, the usual suspects of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. All
of which I enjoy, although it was not until later in life that I really
appreciated them. One play I did not study, and still have not read, is
Coriolanus, on which this film is based. After watching this though I probably
will at some point, as this is one hell of a movie.
Am sure most people would agree that when Ralph Fiennes
decided to direct his debut feature that he wasn’t going to just go with a
no-brain Hollywood style flick, and with Coriolanus he most certainly hasn’t.
He has taken the story by Shakespeare and moved it to present day Rome, although
he has kept the language of the time. So, if you had no problem following
movies such as Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet you should have no trouble
following this. Even if you do find yourself getting a little lost with the
language, which you shouldn’t, Fiennes has employed little pointers here and
there in which to help you out; such as news reports that relay what is going
on.
The story itself follows the Roman General Caius Martius ‘Coriolanus’,
a feared man who is at odds with the citizens of Rome. However, after a bloody
battle against the Volscian army, whose leader is Coriolanus’ sworn enemy
Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) he finds himself in favor again. This is
Shakespeare though, and it most certainly is not a comedy, so things aren’t
about to go smoothly. Coriolanus is urged by his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) to
run for Consul, but in order to do so he must get votes from the people, and he
isn’t about to play the political game. Push comes to shove and Coriolanus ends
up inciting a riot which sees him banished from Rome.
Coriolanus is quite simply a terrific movie. It’s
violent, with battles aplenty, the script is wonderfully delivered by the great
cast and the story keeps twisting and turning throughout. Even with the amazing
cast assembled, which also includes Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James
Nesbitt, there is one figure that towers above everyone else, and that is of
course Ralph Fiennes. He gives an amazing performance through not only the
dialogue but also his body language. He is in turn scary, formidable and vulnerable
and dominates every scene he is in. Add in to the fact that he was directing
his feature length debut and further credit must be given to this very talented
man.
The film blends action and lengthy scenes of dialogue seamlessly
and will keep you engrossed throughout this tragic story. If I did have one
minor gripe with the film it would be that the filming location, which I
believe was Serbia, looks nothing like Rome, past or present. That takes
nothing away from the power or effect of the film though, if anything it only
adds to the grittiness of the story.
On the sleeve to this Blu-ray/DVD release there is a
quote that states that this is Shakespeare’s Rambo. In all honestly a fairer
comparison would be to say that it is Shakespeare’s First Blood, but even then
it is just dumbing it down for mass consumption. Coriolanus is a complex and riveting
movie that shows that even if Shakespeare was once in love, as the movie would
have us believe, that he was also capable of works of unflinching violence.
This film might not be particularly graphic, but it is indeed violent.
Ralph Fiennes has come up trumps with this film, and I
would not hesitate to recommending it to anyone. Don’t be put off by the
language, as I mention you will get used to it. I’m already looking forward to
Fiennes next film as director, which at the time of writing this is The
Invisible Woman.
Coriolanus is released on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and DVD on May 29th through Anchor Bay.
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