While Shakespeare may have written his Roman tragedy over four hundred years ago, it’s safe to say the only thing that’s changed since then is the English language. His tale of Coriolanus, adapted by first time director, Ralph Fiennes, is as worryingly poignant now as it ever was. Just as Baz Luhrmann’s update of Romeo and Juliet transcended the centuries, so too does this update, the conflict taking part in Rome, but looking like any war torn country plucked from the news. The sight of bombings, protests, shootings and clashes with riot police all too familiar.
Leader of Rome, Coriolanus defends his people with an iron fist, a victor on the battlefield against his sworn enemies, the Volscians, he returns home to a heroes welcome. As he attempts to move into a life of politics and parliament, he finds himself under unwelcome scrutiny from political opportunists, spin doctors and former allies. Banished from the city he swore to protect, he joins the ranks of the Volscian army, ready to take revenge against those who betrayed him.
The cast are uniformly excellent, with Brian Cox superb as always in the role Coriolanus’ scheming, yet loyal advisor, Menenius, while Vanessa Redgrave excels as a mother full of twisted pride and talk of loyalty. However the film belongs to it’s two leads, Fiennes as good as you’d expect him to be having perfected his Coriolanus a long time ago on the West End. Fiennes instilling the character with an unwavering sense of honour, loyalty and pride in fighting for Rome, but also with a distrust and contempt for it’s people. Coriolanus is a disturbingly easy character to believe, a man who will fight for the people of his country, but who will settle for no less than their total loyalty and gratitude in return. Facing him, Gerard Butler’s Aufidius, a former ally of Coriolanus, now sworn enemy of Rome and leader of the Volscian army. It’s not easy sharing the screen with an actor like Fiennes, but Butler more than holds his own, his Aufidius a calmer, humbler leader, the man of the people Coriolanus can never be. It’s refreshing to see Butler in a more challenging role, with too many forgettable roles in recent times.
Some of the films best scenes come as the pair do battle on streets that could be straight from the news, helpless civilians trying to escape the warring factions. While Fiennes handles the dialogue and political scenes as well as you would assume he would, he shows an unexpected flair for the action sequences, with brutal assaults combined with the “amateur footage” you would expect captured on any modern battlefield.
The film won’t be to everybody’s tastes, and while the modern setting works well with the original dialogue, it is as you would expect it to be, quite heavy going. The run time of just over two hours seems a shade too long, but with the level of talent involved it certainly doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. A film well worth seeing, if only for to prove the fact that as much as things change, the more they stay the same.
