Modern Warfare

Directing and starring in an adaptation of a 400-year-old play set in the 5th century B.C. is risky; successfully drawing the Roman empire in a world of urban grime and machine guns driven by Shakespearean prose is a task fit only for Ralph Fiennes.

When Caius Martius, cold and taciturn, returns from war, he finds power thrust upon him, and struggles to hide his contempt for the common people.

With iambic TV news broadcasts providing the context and violently kinetic editing conveying the action, the film impressively conquers any potential dissonance.

Unfortunately, in following Coriolanus’ rise and fall … and subsequent rise and fall, there are too many angry crowd scenes, too many explanatory speeches, and the film drags.

Despite its formidable style and intrepid vision, Coriolanus ultimately cannot overcome a repetitive story arc that is further undercut by pacing problems, resulting in a narrative that is never fully gripping.

3/5 stars
Directed by: Ralph Fiennes
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler
122 min.

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