On DVD/BluRay - Coriolanus - Those looking for something inherently different than what the Big Summer Movie Season provides might want to check out this modern day retelling of one of William Shakespeare's lesser known plays about the dangers of self-pride and shady politics. A more "refined" taste might just be a prerequisite, be prepared for every piece of dialogue to be delivered in old Shakespearean English- understandably, it might just prove to be a deal-breaker for most. Although I was ready for this going in (and it's usually not my personal cup o tea), I didn't expect that the script and delivery would be so entertainingly fluent and relatively easy to follow.
This film is Ralph Fiennes' Directorial debut- I'll be quite interested in his future projects. Each scene is cleverly staged, the editing is first rate and the cinematography fits the subject matter perfectly. The acting is uniformly excellent, with Fiennes (playing the titular character) and Vanessa Redgrave being real standouts. Gerard Butler makes a few appearances as an enemy of Rome, with Brian Cox (Troy) and Jessica Chastain (The Help) rounding out the recognizable talent.
There is only one substantial battle scene (occurring in the first 15 minutes of the movie), though it's highly realistic and rather bloody- my only real complaint being that I believe one more action/battle scene near the end of the 2nd act and the beginning of the 3rd, if only a few minutes long, would have helped out immensely towards balancing the story. I imagine others will have a difficult time buying into any kind of sympathy with the main character.
Worth a rent for those interested.
7.5 out of 10
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