Howard Hawks once said that a good movie is "three good scene and no bad ones". That would make Martin Koolhoven's Brimstone beyond good - great even.
You know you're watching a masterpiece when not three, not five, but nearly every scene is a work of art. A powerful combination of character, conflict, beauty and above all truth. And Koolhoven's truth is in the details, the blocking of a scene, the poignant rendering of a back lit saddle creating a striking metaphor or even the empty gun pointed at an whore-abusing coal miner - helping him to climax by the very thought of violence. This is what makes cinema different from theater or television - its power to tell story through images and action rather than words. How fitting that the lead character has no tongue to speak with - but still manages to steal the show.
Fanning and Pearce are true gems and shine bright in this dark epic. It's not a film for the faint-hearted or god-fearing - but I truly hope my generation will be able to appreciate a thing of beauty like this and not be disappointed at the absence of Tarantino-like crowd pleasers. This is not a self conscious meta western, but a real story about human's struggle with religion, violence and above all man's fear of women. Koolhoven has given us in the Netherlands something to be proud of again - Cinema with balls that confronts and provokes.
I'm sure many people will be offended, disgusted - and so should they - the world is not as depicted in the Marvel universe, where no action has real consequences. In this time of populism and mass manipulation we need people like Martin Koolhoven who are willing to spend years perfecting their craft - creating fiction that reveals the truth our reality obscures. Go and see for yourself - Love it - Hate it - Ten years from now we'll still be talking about this film.
You know you're watching a masterpiece when not three, not five, but nearly every scene is a work of art. A powerful combination of character, conflict, beauty and above all truth. And Koolhoven's truth is in the details, the blocking of a scene, the poignant rendering of a back lit saddle creating a striking metaphor or even the empty gun pointed at an whore-abusing coal miner - helping him to climax by the very thought of violence. This is what makes cinema different from theater or television - its power to tell story through images and action rather than words. How fitting that the lead character has no tongue to speak with - but still manages to steal the show.
Fanning and Pearce are true gems and shine bright in this dark epic. It's not a film for the faint-hearted or god-fearing - but I truly hope my generation will be able to appreciate a thing of beauty like this and not be disappointed at the absence of Tarantino-like crowd pleasers. This is not a self conscious meta western, but a real story about human's struggle with religion, violence and above all man's fear of women. Koolhoven has given us in the Netherlands something to be proud of again - Cinema with balls that confronts and provokes.
I'm sure many people will be offended, disgusted - and so should they - the world is not as depicted in the Marvel universe, where no action has real consequences. In this time of populism and mass manipulation we need people like Martin Koolhoven who are willing to spend years perfecting their craft - creating fiction that reveals the truth our reality obscures. Go and see for yourself - Love it - Hate it - Ten years from now we'll still be talking about this film.