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Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain ... see more see more... , James Nesbitt , John Kani , Paul Jesson , Lubna Azabal , Ashraf Barhom , Zoran Cica , Milos Dabic , Nicolas Isia , Zoran Miljkovic , Marija Mogbolu , Milan Perovic , Nenad Ristic , Lawrence Stevenson , Marko Stojanovic , Tamara Krcunovic , Zu Yu Hua , Olivera Viktorovic-Duraskovic , Danijela Vranjes , Slavko Stimac , Ivan Dordevic , Radovan Vujovic , Jovan Belobrkovic , Dan Tana , Miodrag Milovanov , Dragan Micanovic , Radoslav Milenkovic , Radomir Nikolic , Zoran Pajic , Harry Fenn , Elizabeta Dorevska , Dusan Janicijevic , Jon Snow , Nikki Amuka-Bird , David Yelland , Andrija Maricic , Svetislav Goncic , Uros Zdjelar , Bora Nenic , Slobodan Ninkovic , Mona Hammond , Slobodan Pavelkic , Dragoljub Vojnov , Keiron Jecchinis , Mirko Pantelic

Caius Martius 'Coriolanus' (Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vaness... read more read more...a Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus's anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. -- (C) Weinstein Co

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64% liked it

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122 critics

R, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Ralph Fiennes

Release Date: January 13, 2011

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DVD Release Date: May 29, 2012

Stats: 382 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (382)

  • allan913
    March 26, 2012
    allan913
    It`s Shakespeare meets The Hurt Locker. A tremendously entertainiing and electrifying film. A stylish, lean, muscular and gripping modern drama that packs serious and intense punch of a hard-edge action-thriller. An unforgettable and powerful movie. A triumphant masterwork from D... read moreirector-Star, Ralph Fiennes, he proves to be an extroadinary director. A firey and rich directional debut. Fiennes gives an astonishing and passionate performance, his best yet. Gerard Butler is outstanding, one of his best performances so far. Butler and Fiennes have never been better, their performances are just simply a tour de force. The peroformances are truly top-notch from it`s amazing cast. Jessica Chastain is wonderful. Vanessa Redgrave is at her best. Brain Cox and James Nesbitt are excellent. A heart-pounding and exhilerating movie packed with explosive action and the breathtaking drama of Shakespeare`s words. It`s wickedly well-crafted and superbly performend film. A gorgeous, dark and bloody great movie. I loved this movie.
  • DrZeek
    February 7, 2012
    DrZeek
    Coriolanus: Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.

    I am a fan of actor Ralph Fiennes. I enjoy stories involving Greek tragedies. And I tend to like films that reappropriate the works of Shakespeare in interesting ways. I found the concept of having Ralph Fiennes star i... read moren his directorial debut of the Shakespeare tragedy Coriolanus, which has been set in modern times, despite retaining the Shakespearean dialogue, to be an intriguing one. Fortunately, it paid off greatly for me and those who would be similarly interested in such a thing. While the modern setting makes way for some pretty stylish action sequences early on, the film is mainly a powerhouse of acting, with characters digging into the usage of iambic pentameter, and delivering fine work all around.

    read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    January 26, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "Nature Teaches Beasts to Know Their Friends"

    A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.

    REVIEW

    Shakespeare's tragedy, Coriolanus, directed by Ralph Fie... read morennes, has been successfully translated to the screen, just as Richard III (1995) was by Richard Loncraine. Both productions shift the scene to modern times, and despite my prejudice about tinkering with the Bard, I liked both, in part because Fiennes is a fine Coriolanus and Ian McKellen a better than fine Richard. It's modern Rome, besieged by angry citizens whose leader is Gerard Butler's Aufidius, longtime enemy of Coriolanus. When the haughty, anti-commoner Coriolanus is banished from Rome, he joins up with his old enemy to turn on Rome.

    It seems like a perfect alliance until Coriolanus's formidable mother, Volumnia, played by Vanessa Redgrave, and his wife, VIrgilia, played by Jessica Chastain, confront him. To see the four leads on the screen, along with the reliable Brian Cox as Menenius, is to witness the best of cinema acting, although Redgrave dominates as she pleads, cajoles, and finesses her son to speak gently to the commoners and to compromise the siege. There is something static about the filming, perhaps because Fiennes sees it in its Shakespearean form and himself as a theatrical performer. "Static" even though Fiennes relies on MTV-like quick cuts to enhance the action and perhaps mitigate the elegant prose for regular film goers.

    The contemporary thematic parallels with the play are obvious: the puzzle that still is the Balkans, or Iraq and Iran for that matter, with families pitted against each other, the citizenry versus the military, and power another deal away. But the play's the thing, and no matter how much gifted director and adapter play with the original, Shakespeare is always there with stunning dialogue, deep characterization, and humanity still crazy after all these years.
  • fb1038944442
    January 25, 2012
    fb1038944442
    Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus is one of a small handful of fresh and successful filmed Shakespeare. It's a very dark and cold tale to begin with and there aren't many characters to love or soliloquies that are quoted and cherished, so it's not for everybody.

    Fiennes has organical... read morely transplanted the story in to the modern mass media world, and vaguely made a 'Rome' out of modern day Serbia and it feels right. The expositional and Greek chorus stuff is covered by talking CNN type heads instead of sentries and townspeople and it works very well. It's similar to the Ethan Hawke contemporary Hamlet from the nineties as well as the Baz Luhrman Romeo and Juliet that makes the contemporary atmosphere work to the favor of the story. The film is full of action and violence and it's shot with verve.

    The entire cast is flawless, Fiennes plays an unsympathetic Coriolanus with restraint and anger (very similar to his Schindler's list Nazi). Vanessa Redgrave as his militaristic mother Volumnia gives her most commanding and mesmerizing performance in a decade, she is spectacular. Scottish action superstar Gerard Butler was a revelation as rival warrior Aufidius, he handles the iambic pentameter beautifully and he can match Fiennes blow for blow in screen presence. Jessica Chastain acquits herself well as Fiennes long suffering wife.

    The film does honor to Shakespeare, and is true to the play. However, it's one of Shakespeare's least appealing plays to a wide audience. It's about politics, the will of the people, misuse of power, all told with a uncompromising bleakness. Twelfth Night has more laughs and poetry. Heck, King Lear has more laughs than this one. And Julie Taymor's Titus has more visual kick. But on the filmed Shakespeare top ten films list, this one might just squeak in.
  • mrbungle7821
    January 4, 2012
    mrbungle7821
    William Shakespeare's little-known play has a surprising amount of cultural relevance: attacks on the border, suspension of civil liberties, political scheming, populist uprisings and riots, and a military elite arguing against the principles of appealing to the uneducated, mob-r... read moreuled masses. Plus Ralph Fiennes, taking on the hat of director for the first time, sets the play in modern-day. It seems like a struggle between Scotland and England, judging from the two mortal enemies, Coriolanus (Fiennes) and Tulius Aufidus (Gerard Butler). So it's the Scotland/England struggle, termed ancient Rome, but set in what looks like the war-ravaged Balkans. Hey, at least Fiennes gets to have a nose in this film. The Shakespearean verbiage is certainly beautiful to hear, especially coming from the mouths of excellent thespians, notably Fiennes, Brian Cox, and Vanessa Redgrave. The actors achieve that synergetic level of excellence where it feels like they were always meant for the parts. Butler acquits himself well though his character sort of disappears unless needed by the plot. The elements that work best reside in Coriolanus' refusal to play the game of political optics, neither serving a crowd of ignorant peasants he feels should remain out of the political process or the wily, double-crossing, self-serving politicians inflaming populist unrest. The movie sets itself up for some serious wrath to befall Rome, and besides the Greeks (and Koreans), nobody does revenge like this guy Shakespeare. We're chomping at the bit for a cataclysm of death, but then the plot just sort of skips to a hasty conclusion, ditching the wrath. It makes you realize that, except for the intriguing title character, this isn't one of the bard's better plays. The characters are hard to empathize with, their conflicts too repetitive without deeper insight, and an ending that would be best described as a bit of a rush job. Still, even Shakespeare's lesser work towers above most writers' best material. Fiennes does a fine job as director, choosing lots of disorienting close-ups to communicate the rage of his character. Coriolanus is an interesting stab at something more, it's just that sometimes it swings and misses.

    Nste's Grade: B
  • 366weirdmovies
    December 19, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    Coriolanus becomes a Roman war hero, then is pushed to become consul but isinstead banished for his anti-plebian rhetoric; he joins up with the Roman's enemies and leads an army against the city. Suprisingly, this is the only feature film treatment to date of this second tier Sh... read moreakespeare play. Ralph Fiennes gives a proud and dangerous performance in the lead role. The decision to update the action to modern times while leaving the text the same doesn't automatically create contemporary relevance, but it does elicit some chuckles due to the use of CNN-style news updates and panel discussions seen throughout.
  • fb1075926509
    October 29, 2011
    fb1075926509
    Redgrave. Brilliant. 'Mommy Dearest' doesn' t come close! Missing 5th star is for the overzealous gore and often unintelligible language.
  • gator681
    February 12, 2012
    gator681
    "Coriolanus" starts with the native Romans getting restless about food shortages. General Martius(Ralph Fiennes, who also directs) suspends civil liberties in response, even putting in a personal appearance before his troops put in the full beatdown. Meanwhile, an external thre... read moreat materializes in neighboring Volscia in the person of Aufidius(Gerard Butler), Martius' old enemy. While Martius is taking care of that problem and earning himself a promotion in the process, Senator Menenius(Brian Cox) pays a visit to Martius' mother(Vanessa Redgrave) and wife(Jessica Chastain).

    Even though it may at first seem like a return to the good old days when generals led their troops into battle, with this production of "Coriolanus," Ralph Fiennes does an excellent job of bringing Shakespeare kicking and screaming to relevance in the present day that goes beyond the eponymous character running afoul of Clausterwitz's famous dictum that "War is the continuation of policy by other means." Filming in a former war zone helps, as the opening protests bring to mind recent similar protests in Europe(note the faces, even though Shakespeare was never one for the common person) but the movie loses some of its punch as it goes on. Even then, the story's momentum continues through its memorable finale, thanks in large part to the superb performances from Vanessa Redgrave and Ralph Fiennes.
  • moviewaffle
    January 24, 2012
    moviewaffle
    The concept of staying faithful to a Shakespearean text is antithetic to film-making yet most film-makers insist on such reverence when tackling the bard. The language in Shakespeare's work is indeed beautiful but it's the stories themselves that form his legacy. If film-makers f... read moreocused on just adapting the stories well rather than pedantically quoting the dialogue then Shakespeare's IMDB page would read a lot better.
    All the classics have been taken already so Fiennes is stuck with one of the lesser known of the writer's plays, the tale of an excommunicated Roman General who returns for revenge. The reason we haven't seen this on screen before is because it's simply not a very good story, there's little dramatic meat here. Fiennes relocates it to an alternate Rome which resembles the contemporary Balkans and shoots it like a "Call Of Duty" video game. Personally I would have found the original setting of ancient Rome more visually interesting.
    Despite the presence of Gerard Butler the well-assembled cast are superb, Redgrave especially as Fiennes' psychotic mother. Chastain has given more great performances in the last year alone than most actresses will in a lifetime and here she performs with a confidence that is often lacking in American thesps when tackling this material.
    Many actors have turned their hand to directing and been found lacking, Fiennes is but the latest.
  • crossbladezero
    March 20, 2012
    crossbladezero
    With all of the corruption, incest, soliloquies on the glory of death, visions of restless spirits, wife and child murders, the horrors of war and mutual suicides between lovers, people forget that Shakespeare got pretty hardcore with his stories. Seriously though, ol' Shake-a-sp... read moreeare wasn't shy on brutality, and this tale was no different, and yet, somewhere along the way, it got lost in his piles and piles of his accomplishments, but who better to bring another one of Shakespeare's brutal visions of corruption to life than Ray Fiennes? I'm just gonna go ahead and spell his name the way it's pronounced, because, really, how many awesome, hardcore dudes can you think of with the name Ralph? I think he should just go ahead and change his name to Iconic Villain Petersen II, because if you have some kind of crazy bad guy that you want to get popularized, then you need to get a hold of this guy. All you have to do is defeat him three times, then infiltrate a magic tournament, ambush and kidnap the only person who survived an instant kill spell and throw a few drops of that person's blood into a cauldron in the middle of a graveyard; it's as simple as that. Just make sure that no little fat geek of a tertiary character comes in and saves the day, instead of one of lead characters that we had been centering on for eight, long films and ten, long years. Man, the last "Harry Potter" ticked me off, but I still really dug it, certainly more than I dug this film, which isn't to say that this film isn't good, but it is to say that it's certainly with its own missteps.

    As with many Shakespeare classics, we're looking a larger-than-life leads that face limited exposition, though few adaptations have made you realize that as much as this film. Investment is claimed later on, yet right away, development lapses and goes rather rushed, yet isn't the only thing that feels rather rushed. Now, the rushing isn't even mildly on a level of "The Iron Lady", where almost everything that's significant is literally told through montage, after montage, after montage, after montage ("The Iron Lady" covers the youth, entire career and old age of Margaret Thatcher, and yet it's shorter than this film that just barely runs two hours; that should tell you how messy that film was), yet there are still points where you feel as though they could have dropped a bit more meditation of exposition, even after the not-always-smooth development segment. Still, all of those flaws come and go, yet are always less prominent than the slowness, while what truly keeps this film from being excellent is this constant and this constant alone: It's just not "that" excellent. Shakespeare adaptations directed, written and lead onscreen by a true respecter have had a history of really hitting, yet this is just simply not another Branagh's "Hamlet", which is one, big, piece of evidence that you most certainly don't have to rush spots in a Shakespeare story for it to work. Four hours of mostly dialogue and under 9 different settings, it better work. Anyways, the point is that this film is not one to quickly evoke when looking through the most notable Shakespeare adaptations, yet neither is it an adaptation that can be easily lost in the long haul, not just because it really is the first and only major adaptation of this obscure Shakespeare piece and stars Lord Voldemort and Leonidas, but because what Fiennes nails, he really delivers on.

    Action only comes into play here and there, yet when it does hit the scene, it's hard to not be excited, not because it's awesomely over-the-top, but because it's smart. Don't get me wrong, the action is cool, yet it's not simply looking to blow your mind; only to twist your nerves, and in that regard, Fiennes delivers as director so sharply that even a scene in which Coriolanus takes a drink of water has you on the edge of your seat, and while the action isn't terribly prominent, it wakes you up. The same can be said about Ilan Eshkeri's score, which is neither heavily exposed nor terribly stellar, for that matter, yet it's intense and sets tone that really engages you in the film for every moment it does something that knocks you out of it. That kind of stuff really kicks you awake, yet it's not always there forever, unlike Ralph (Oh, forget it) Fiennes' atmosphere, which isn't terribly intense or enthralling, yet it is engaging and constant enough for you to stay attached to the story, regardless of its missteps, as it manages to mix its classic Shakespearean tension and contemporary relevance to create a kind of striking sense of intrigue that progressively intensifies, little by little, and keeps you going, maybe not always, but enough for you to walk away more satisfied than not with the picture. For that, we have to give credit to, not only Ralph Fiennes, but Ralph Fiennes, as well as his fellow onscreen performers. Okay, now, I wouldn't consider most of performances really killer, yet every performance is quite good and effective in the context of the story, whether it be Vanessa Redgrave as Coriolanus' uneasing mother, Jessica Chastain (Yeah, we haven't seen her in a while) as Coriolanus' fearing wife or Gerard Butler as Coriolanus' equal opponent and, later, partner in corruption. Yes people, do not that I am emphasizing how everything leads back to the Gaius Marcius Coriolanus character, because, as the title would suggest, this is his show, just like it's Ralph Fiennes' show, something Fiennes doesn't let forget offscreen and most certainly doesn't let you forget while he's on the camera, as he delivers what it easily the best performance of the film, portraying this brilliant hero's corruption and fall from grace with subtlety and, well, grace, emphasizing the brutality and scarring that, when mixed with power and controversy, all but totally prevails over the genius of our lead, and the way Fiennes portrays this classic Shakespeare tale of tragedy, both onscreen and off, really makes this film worth watching.

    In closing, this adaptation of Shakespeare is not among the most notable, and not just because of the spots in storytelling, as well as the constant slowness, yet what makes this film an enjoyable piece in the Shakespeare haul is Ralph Fiennes constant atmosphere of ever-intensifying intrigue - broken up by heavy tension, summoned by solid action and a sharp score -, supplemented by across-the-board effective performances, with Fiennes' as this great leader crushing under the weight of corruption being the most upstanding, ultimately leaving "Coriolanus" to stand as both a generally rewarding exposing of one of Shakespeare's most obscure classics, as well as Ralph Fiennes filmmaking abilities.

    3/5 - Good

View All Coriolanus Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
April 18, 2012
Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

The great actors, from Welles onward, want the popular audience to see what they see in Shakespeare -- that he still matters, that he still moves, thrills and teaches. With "Coriolanus," Fiennes brill... Full Review

Tom Long
March 9, 2012
Tom Long, Detroit News

It's all very unnerving, modern and yet veins-in-the-teeth visceral. Full Review

Kerry Lengel
March 8, 2012
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic

As a portrait of modern warfare, politics and propaganda, "Coriolanus" is intriguing, even if the gritty action sequences don't quite measure up to the realism of "The Hurt Locker." Full Review

Colin Covert
March 1, 2012
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ralph Fiennes turns one of Shakespeare's least-loved plays into a slashing, muscular but uneven modern drama in his film-directing debut. Full Review

Steven Rea
February 16, 2012
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Even in what is viewed as a minor work, the inevitable currents of ambition and violence, cruelty and competition, rivalry and rage run strong and truthfully. Full Review

Ty Burr
February 16, 2012
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

When Caius Martius heads into battle against the invading Volscians, we get 20-odd minutes of brutal street-fighting with RPGs and crackling automatic weapons. The film was shot in Serbia; dial a few ... Full Review

Mick LaSalle
February 2, 2012
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

In his first film as a director, Fiennes proves that he knows Fiennes the actor inside out, with a self-knowledge that's rare, even admirable. Full Review

Michael Phillips
February 2, 2012
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

You buy the concept, from start to finish, because it feels strong and purposeful and in sync with Shakespeare's own vision of a malleable, fickle populace and a leader raised by the ultimate stage mo... Full Review

J. R. Jones
February 2, 2012
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Visually and dramatically it works well-it's Shakespeare by way of Black Hawk Down-but as an allegory of modern-day geopolitics it doesn't really go anywhere. Full Review

Roger Ebert
February 2, 2012
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

I admired the movie even though I found it neither fish nor fowl. Full Review

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    • Caius Martius 'Coriolanus': O, a kiss long as my exile, sweet as my revenge!
    • Caius Martius 'Coriolanus': You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate As reek o'the rotten fens, whose loves I prize As the dead carcases of unburied men That do corrupt my air.
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  • which film was Denzel Washington's first acting role?  Answer »
  • Denzel Washington's first big screen film was 'Coriolanus' as Aedile/Roman Citizen/Volscian Citizen/Roman Soldier/Volscian Soldier.   Answer »
  • Coriolanus (2011) stars...  Answer »
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