The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Taking cues from films such as Baz Luhermann’s Romeo + Juliet, Coriolanus
is a Shakespearean tragedy, set in modern times. It may require a bit more concentration
than regular films but it’s a treat hearing the prose just roll off of the
tongues of trained actors.

The film takes place in Rome and tells the story of an army general by
the name of Caius Martius Coriolanus (Fiennes). Stern, violent and anti social,
he was nonetheless considered a hero by the people of Rome. When he decided to
run for Consul however, his detractors used his rigidity against him and
sparked a riot that had him banished from the city. In revenge, he teams up
with his mortal enemy, Aufidius (Butler), leader of the Volscian army, to wreak
havoc on the people who dared deem him a traitor.  

Maybe because he isn’t hidden behind a ton of makeup and because
this time around he has a nose, but Fiennes is more deranged in this role than he was
as Lord Voldemort, and that’s saying something. He has an intensity that poor
Butler, as his adversary, just can’t hope to match even though he does do a pretty
good job regardless. In fact, the acting here is uniformly strong, but
Fiennes is simply phenomenal. The only people capable of going toe to toe with him are Chastain, who plays his wife, and Redgrave, who plays his brutally
chilling mother. 

On the one hand the film analyses the connection between what the public
wants from their politicians and the personas that said politicians present to
them. Unlike every other politician in Rome, Coriolanus refuses to sugar-coat
his words and openly declares his loathing of the people. His stubborn,
idealistic nature greatly complicates his transition from the battlefield to
the senate much to the chagrin of his mother – who’s probably even colder and
more terrifying than he is. He’s a very ambiguous character and it’s this that
gives the film much of its depth.  He’s a
bloodthirsty tyrant just like his mother yet also a bundle of intense emotions,
be it love or disdain.  

The film is a complete blood bath which shouldn’t come as a surprise in a film about an army general, but the intensity pervading the film takes the
fights to another level. The Romans and Vulscians have a ‘fight or die trying
approach’ to war directly inspired by their leaders’ complete contempt for their
own lives. And while the cinematography captures the fight scenes really well –
Aufidius and Coriolanus’ one-on-one fights are particularly thrilling – it does
even better with the rest of the film. The protest scenes feel utterly contemporary and give the film a sense of immediacy; no mean feat when you’re
speaking in Shakespearean English.

It’s not a perfect film but it’s close and the acting, Fiennes in
particular, is as close to perfect as you can get. Despite that though, the
film’s main strength lies in the fact that it updates the play and makes it
completely relevant to modern audiences. The themes that the play covers are
ones that play out in our political arenas every day and it makes for
absolutely riveting viewing.