Was searching Netflix on what to watch next and ran across a bunch of Shakespeare films. Coriolanus caught my eye first. Two reasons. First, I have not read, performed or seen this play yet. Second, Ralph Fiennes stars and directs the film.
One thing about Shakespeare. It is hard to do. On stage and on screen. Especially on screen. The pacing of this film is slow. You will need a lot of patience to get through it. That being said, the performances are outstanding. One of my issues with doing Shakespeare is that many actors cannot handle the language. All the actors in this production handle the language well.
The story itself is about a military leader of Rome that is asked to take civilian leadership and is ultimately banished due to his brutality on the battlefield and his lack of civilian subtlety.
This film is placed in modern time and is crafty on how it handles the text and delivering the plot devices. Meaning, if you have seen a Shakespeare play live, the descriptions of how wars and other actions off stage are delivered to the audience. Very well done.
If you are a Shakespeare fan, you will love this film. If you are a Ralph Fiennes fan, you will love this film. While the pace is slow, this is a well crafted film.
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