Review
Coriolanus
Director: Ralph Fiennes
Release Date: 20 January 2012
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. And bring an umbrella, as the spit flies during angry exchanges and fulsome speeches performed by an exemplary cast including Vanessa Redgrave, Gerard Butler and Ralph Fiennes, in the latter's directorial debut.
Fiennes plays Caius Martius Coriolanus, a prideful and fearsome general of Rome. Returning triumphant from battle, he is elected to the powerful station of Consul, but scheming politicians fear he may become a tyrannical dictator and, after manipulating the public, have him exiled. Having betrayed his ideals attempting to appease the people, Martius swears vengeance and enlists his blood enemy Tullus Aufidius (Butler) and his army to march on Rome.
As appears prerequisite to most modern Shakespearean adaptations, the action is relocated from ancient metropolis to contemporary dystopia, with the Republic of Rome transforming into an Eastern European war zone. This is where Fiennes triumphs as director, as where landscape may have changed, conflict has remained conflict throughout the ages; he shows that the content of Shakespeare's play is as relevant today as it was 400 years ago.
As actor, Fiennes portrays intense emotion, be it humility or anger, but never renders Martius as either hero or villain, instead creating a subjective protagonist, allowing the viewer to make up their own mind as to the merit of his actions. Butler holds his own against Fiennes, brooding and spewing venomous tongue with equal fervour. But it is Redgrave, as Martius' strong and scheming mother Volumnia, who shows the vast range of emotion any actor should possess in their arsenal.
While the Shakespearean language can be hard to follow, the gist of conversation is never difficult to grasp. This is an excellent adaptation filled with effective performances and a superb first outing in the director's chair for Fiennes.
Adam Smart
