Coriolanus

Ralph Fiennes transforms Shakespeare's war tragedy into a violent, contemporary action movie, full of bloody battles and torture scenes. Caius Martius Coriolanus (Fiennes) is an arrogant, disdainful, patrician general who, pushed by his formidably ambitious, rigidly controlling mother, Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), must ingratiate himself to the common citizens of Rome, whom he despises, in order to become a Consul. When he's repudiated by the lowly masses, Coriolanus's anger prompts his expulsion from The Republic, so the outraged, banished warrior then allies himself with his sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler), to wreak revenge upon the city's wretched rabble…much to the chagrin of his hapless wife Virgilia (Jessica Chastain) and trusted friend Menenius (Brian Cox). First-time feature director Fiennes reprises the role he played so successfully on the London stage in 2007, retaining much of the Bard's classic dialogue with occasional rephrasing. Shot in Yugoslavia, Coriolanus is set in an alternative Roman universe, complete with machine guns and rockets, cars and armored tanks, and riots reported via TV interviews and updates on news channels. This Coriolanus, like its hero, is sharp and stubborn, and clearly aimed at art-film aficionados. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director-star Ralph Fiennes, a “making-of” featurette (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an interesting adaptation of one of Shakespeare's lesser works.] (S. Granger)