Coriolanus (2011)

Coriolanus is not quite one of William Shakespeare's famous plays but this adaptation is pretty great. It starts with a bang. Slow burn of loud noises. It's a decent opening. And it gets better when Caius Martius was introduced. Even though the setting is modern, the language stays to the film. But in some parts, the language doesn't fit to the scene. Ralph Fiennes' performance was fantastic. All the performances were fantastic. Well directed. Beautiful cinematography. Slick music score. Coriolanus is a solid Shakespeare adaptation.

The film introduces with loud noises and explosions. These elements usually overwhelm us in movies. Never forget, this is a Shakespeare film. The dialogue beats the loud noises from its greatness. Everything in this film is modern. The only thing remains here is the language. Of course, it's not Shakespeare without the language.The scenes in television are probably the ones that doesn't fit to the language but somewhat it doesn't matter. It still makes a great Shakespearean scenario.

These dialogues were amazingly delivered by the actors. Ralph Fiennes is fantastic. Even from the very start of the film, he already made the show fascinating. He's born to play these kinds of roles. His rage is the core of his talent. Vanessa Redgrave also compels to the picture. Gives a powerful delivery to her dialogue. In other filmmaking, the cinematography is beautiful but the shaky camera might messes some of the shot. The music score is simply slick with drums. Giving extra thrills to the scenes. Lastly is the action scenes, these scenes doesn't quite matter if it's good or bad but it feels like The Hurt Locker.

It's satisfying enough to see this by the actors and the language. Its context is more mind blowing than the explosions. The filmmaking is very decent. It's a clever modernization and great familiarization to this not so famous play of William Shakespeare. Ralph Fiennes keeps the interest and shines throughout the show. Coriolanus never disappoints. It's a truly Shakespeare picture even if everything but the language is modern. It's just fascinating.

Fmovies: A modern-day spin on one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays, Coriolanus is an ambitious and lyrical Greek tragedy that has everything you'd expect from the mind of the Bard; betrayal, revenge, pride, conflict, monologues, dilemmas, death- it's all in there. The only thing missing is a star-crossed lover or two.

Both its star and director, Ralph Fiennes follows past masters Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh onto the breach in this doomy and demanding directorial debut that may signal a new and exciting direction for the steely-eyed actor.

Set in a city on the verge of collapse that resembles Tripoli but calls itself Rome, the film charts the rise and fall of general Coriolanus (Fiennes); a fiery soldier of war-torn Rome who earns his stripes in a bloody battle against an insurgent army lead by Turrus (Gerard Butler). In the aftermath of a brutal bullet storm and knife fight, Coriolanus emerges victorious and is branded the symbol of a new and prosperous empire. It doesn't work out. The decorated vet is more brawn than brains; his strong sense of pride coupled with the dirty work of corrupt bureaucrats and advisors lead to civil unrest and, in turn, a verbal attack by Coriolanus' on the people of Rome which results in his banishment from the city. Bitter, betrayed and hell- bent on revenge, the spitting outlaw seeks refuge and redemption in who else but his sworn enemy, Turrus.

Swapping the frantic razzmatazz of Baz Lurhmann's Romeo and Juliet retool for a far more gritty and paced approach, Fiennes has crafted a brave and bombastic drama that'll probably find its way onto a school curriculum or two before the year is out. And why not. His contemporary vision of a 300+ year old morality play is one awash with thought, feeling, values, complexities, politics and emotion- pure, unadulterated Shakespeare.

Coriolanus is far from the vision of just one man, though. Gladiator screenwriter Josh Lucas lays the necessary footing for Fiennes and Hurt Locker cinematographer Barry Ackroyd to bring the tale to life. Stirling support also comes in the shape of seasoned thesps Brian cox, Vanessa Redgrave, James Nesbitt and....Gerard Butler; all of which are new to big-screen Shakespeare yet convincing nonetheless. Even Butler.

The screen belongs to a raw and rampant Ralph Fiennes, though. More than just a noseless sorcerer, Fiennes is an exceptional actor and, now, promising director whose verbose and gung-ho approach from both behind and in front of the lens makes for a fascinating commitment. "Such is the work of a man". Olivier and Branagh would be proud. Coriolanus will have Shakespeare enthusiasts chomping-at-the-bit, students scrambling for the exits.

I just got out of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) North American Premier Gala event of Coriolanus. The movie was both gripping and powerful. Yes it is always nice to see a film with cast and director in hand to introduce the film and take credit at is completion, but this movie definitely earned the audiences standing ovation. Some may fear a presentation in Iambic Pentameter though the script and delivery made every line understandable. Setting Shakespeare in a modern day Roman city state was smart. I enjoyed ever minute of this film and if you are a fan of good story telling, Shakespeare or war movies, you will enjoy Coriolanus.

Coriolanus fmovies. Going into the film, I really didn't know anything about it. Which is why i'm glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by this film.For a first time director Ralph Fiennes really did a great job making a modern adaptation of one of the lesser known Shakespeare works. I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, but I have to say that the use of the his dialogue here actually worked in the context in the film even with the modern setting. Fiennes and Butler both do an amazing job and really carry the film as does the rest of the cast. The action sequences are also shot very well and realistically. I hope Fiennes continues to direct because he shows a lot of talent here. Don't let Shakespeare's name drive you away from this film! You don't have to be a fan of his work to enjoy it!

Shakespeare's most complicated tragedy set in the early days of the Rome Republic gets an updated setting in Fiennes' movie. Using story-telling techniques combining CNN, CSI, and YouTube along with images of street demonstrations, riots, and urban warfare, Fiennes gives us a Coriolanus befitting our times, clarifying how the titular hero can fall from national hero to banishment in a matter of minutes on the whims of a fickle populous easily swayed by political spin-masters. Still, the mamma's boy element of Coriolanus' tragedy remains intact.

Though significantly cut, the text is pure Shakespeare, even in the mouths of TV talking-head pundits. Spoken by the likes of Fiennes and Brian Cox, the verse lifts what could have been a gimmickry telling of Coriolanus into a five-star Shakespearean movie.

Shakespeare isn't Shakespeare without Shakespearean language. It might be difficult to understand exactly what the dialogue is during parts of Coriolanus, but there's no difficulty following the meaning. The action, the direction and some powerful performances – most notably from Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave – carry the film and more than compensate for the language barriers. Some people walked out about halfway through but the climactic third act made it well worth the perseverance – especially Redgrave's moving monologue as the formidable matriarch Volumnia.

Gerard Butler was pretty forgettable in this. Whether that's because he isn't exactly of thespian discipline or because his character isn't particularly pronounced in this play, is up to you to decide. Perhaps he and Jessica Chastain are nothing more than a bit of totty to sell the film? Perhaps that's just a bit cynical.

James Nesbitt added an interesting, somewhat unexpected dynamic to the play with his enigmatic nuances of jest and malice. Also worth a mention was the little-known Dragan Micanovic who played a minor character, Titus, but delivered a couple of pivotal lines with engrossing presence.

The real star of the show is obviously Shakespeare. His poetic prose courses through your mind and adds fuel to the fires of his drama. His characters are bold and consistent, truly agents of their own destinies. The subject matter resonates with political allegory and the film's release is timely and relevant. The play set in a present day context highlights the tribal social system which still dominates our affairs. The story also works to express the futility of war.

Fiennes has done well to translate Coriolanus from the stage to the screen and he hasn't stretched it too far so as to alienate it from the original text. Stylistically, the film is quite gritty. The focus is mostly on the actors, their eyes, their expressions and their delivering of lines, but there are a few purely cinematic moments (fight scenes in particular) which justify the adaptation to the screen. There are a couple of truly violent moments in the film which blast the cobwebs off the old play and hook the modern, desensitized audience into the story.

Coriolanus is a tense and violent political wartime thriller which makes Shakespeare not only accessible but utterly captivating. A credible directorial debut from one of the industry's finest working actors.

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