Brimstone (2017)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, Kit Harington
Directed by Martin Koolhoven
I always dug those old-westerns of days gone by: simplistic dialogue, heavy on the gore, and a series of breathtaking visuals that could carry you through a sagging plot, and in the case of Martin Koolhoven’s Brimstone, we get to see a story played out in four parts, each more gloomy and vicious than the last.
Dakota Fanning shines in her role of Liz, a mute woman who has certainly seen her share of horrific actions – her life is shielded within a rural Dutch community where work is the rule, and the other rule is to fear the preacher, played to stone-cold excellence by Guy Pearce. When the holy man does come to town, his word is taken as gospel that the small contingent of people are in fact, doomed to hellfire and…you guessed it: brimstone. What takes a while to materialize is the odd-set connection between Liz and this mysterious man of God’s word, but trust me, once that relation does become established, it’s one that definitely is not easy to digest in a moral fashion. The movie, interestingly enough works in reverse order, and if you find yourself a wee-bit confused as to what’s going on, trust me it’s warranted, however Koolhoven’s ability to seamlessly weave this quartet of chapters into a cohesive story is an impressive one.
The movie acts as a beautiful piece of visual violence, and believe me when I tell you, there are some “interesting” scenes to check out here, with eviscerations and mutilations aplenty across the board. Fanning’s character at more than one instance comes off with that “deer in the headlights” look, but every time she’s on screen, her talent shines through and her portrayal of a woman whose suffered serious traumatic episodes in her young life is both veritable and somber in its presentation. For a western/thriller, this film’s got all the bells and whistles firmly attached to it, such as bar fights, whorehouses, and coercive sex. Those looking a little deeper into this film could see it as an attack against the female form, but I don’t believe that this is its sole purpose – we’ve got a thick storyline with a multitude of avenues and each one of them eventually leads back to Liz and the devilsome preacher. If there were to be a minor point of negativity attached to this film (structurally speaking), it would be the run time, teetering in at nearly 2 and a half hours, although there is a reward for those sticking this one out for the duration…and no, I’m not going to offer up a spoiler. Let me simply say that Brimstone is a wonderfully executed film that percolates with brutality and expressive conviction – make sure to give this one a good look when it rips through your town.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
