Right Out Of Today's Headlines---

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2012)

Coriolanus (2011) Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox. I downloaded this as soon as it came on Pay-Per-View and watched it last week two times. The second time I took some notes. Both times I used sub-titles so I would not miss any of the dialog - Shakespears words spoken by a wonderful cast.
This play is so topical it could be right out of todays headlines. The opening scenes are of the poor, hungry, citizens rioting against black-booted, helmeted government troops. The young woman yells "we are considered poor citizens; the patricians good. Our suffering is a game to them." The OWS message - the 1% against the 99%, with the armies made to serve the 1%.
But our hero is having none of any of it - he hates the citizens and the patricians. What he loves is the war and valor. He goes to battle against his enemy, Volsce leader, Tullus Aufidius, and takes the city of Corioles and is given the honorific name Coriolanus. Fiennes is very good with the permanent sneer this Coriolanus feels for most mortals.
Redgrave as his warrior Mother is good, but the character is a hypocrite. She WANTS him to have large scars - to prove his valor. But also wants him to play the game with the senate - cow-tow to win favor. He can't do it.
The 99% riot again and he wants full power and they won't give it to him. He says of the people, who are these "crows to peck the eagles". Menenius says "You are ambitions!" So he leaves the city and joins up with his enemy, Tullas Aufidius, to march on Rome.
Cox is my pick to get acting honors. Much more than Redgrave, he embodies the noble and the deviousness of the patricians. He makes you feel the tragedy you are seeing.
Butler as the Volscian leader is quiet and strong. The battle with knives between he and Coriolanus is exciting. Butler has such presence, when he is on screen you watch him, even when he does nothing and is in the background. As with the great Steve McQueen, he just IS. He needs no dialog.
Entertaining and also quite good. 8/10