Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Caius Martius, aka Coriolanus, is an arrogant and fearsome general who has built a career on protecting Rome from its enemies. Pushed by his ambitious mother to seek the position of consul, Coriolanus is at odds with the masses and unpopular with certain colleagues. When a riot results in his expulsion from Rome, Coriolanus seeks out his sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius. Together, the pair vow to destroy the great city.
Ralph Fiennes's directorial debut transplants Shakespeare's least-performed tragedy into a gritty modern war-zone setting, with intense performances from Fiennes and Gerard Butler. The plot faithfully preserves the Shakespearean original's taut political drama and tragic arc, which is genuinely exceptional source material executed with purpose. Acting is a clear standout — Fiennes delivers a ferociously committed performance, and Vanessa Redgrave as Volumnia is electrifying. The modern-warfare cinematography is functional and kinetic but not particularly distinctive. The transposition concept is novel but the film doesn't fully transcend its stage-adaptation origins. The ending, faithful to Shakespeare, is suitably tragic but feels somewhat abrupt in this cinematic context.