Review of Solomon Kane (2009) by Alex S — 11 Jul 2010

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." -- James A. Baldwin.

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We don't get a lot of fantasy flicks these days, let alone good ones. Yeah, there's always "Lord of the Rings", but you can't deny that that the fantasy genre is much poorer than most film genres. That is not without reason, however, since you usually need a big budget in order to deliver a good fantasy movie. Locations, costumes and even some CGI are a must in the fantasy domain. Not many dare dwell in this genre, since it is rather risky business, but when a fantasy film does finally come along, it is indeed reason to celebrate for its devoted audience. Again, one must not forget "Lord of the Rings", a trilogy which hopefully inspired and gave filmmakers hope for future fantasy projects.

One such project is "Solomon Kane", a film based on Robert E. Howard's pulp fiction character, which ready to revitalize the fantasy genre yet again. It may as well succeed, judging it from the outside. Written and directed by rising director Michael J. Bassett (some of his past projects include horror flicks "Deathwatch" and "Wilderness") and starring James Purefoy (played Mark Anthony in the historical television series "Rome") as lead character Solomon Kane, the movie looks decent enough. The only thing left is the budget problem, but "Solomon Kane" boasts a good enough sum of money to make it a potential success (40 million dollars, according to sources).

The movie itself tells the tale of how Solomon Kane became the puritan avenger of the source material; thus it is an origin story. It's also supposed to be the first part of a trilogy, though I'm guessing that depends on how well it performs. The film opens with a battle taking place somewhere in North Africa during the very end of the 16th century and follows British mercenary Solomon Kane and the crew of his ship as they fight their way past the enemies and towards a supposed treasure hidden inside the fortress. Things don't go as smooth as planned after Solomon and his crew encounter a group of demons. Most of Solomon's crew gets killed, but the fearless warrior makes his way into the throne room nevertheless. There he encounters the Devil's Reaper, who tells Solomon that his soul is now destined for Hell due to all the evil deeds he has committed throughout his life.

Scarred by the encounter with the Devil's Reaper and finally realizing the things he has done, Solomon seeks sanctuary in an English monastery, but he is soon cast out for fear that he will bring darkness to the sacred place. Thus begins Solomon's journey and his path towards redemption. A pretty long overview, but that's only the beginning of the story. Aside from a few minor flaws, "Solomon Kane" is a beautiful-looking movie. Everything from the design to the locations and costumes look as good as possible, and the visuals are really a marvel to look at. CGI-wise, the movie isn't as proficient as expected. I'm not gonna give anything away, but there's a certain demon that pops up in the final battle which looks very poor in terms of design and creativity. It's not as bad as I make it out to be, and the special effects are decent enough not to damage the film's overall impact.

The most impressive thing about this film is definitely James Purefoy's acting. He really is the perfect match for his character and his on-screen power does not disappoint. He portrays Solomon Kane perfectly, from the time where he is a merciless killer to his moments of redemption and clarity. Taking a look at some of the weak points of the movie, I cannot help but mention the film's script, which is downright disappointing and filled with fantasy clichés. No actual explanations are ever given to what is going on and the only thing that is clear enough to follow is Solomon Kane's purpose and journey. I wonder how the movie would have turned out, had it been based on a stronger and more original screenplay.

There are lots of things to complain about in "Solomon Kane", but also a variety of elements worth admiring it for. The film is good enough to offer an entertaining and relatively exciting ride from start to finish, and James Purefoy portrays Solomon Kane better than anyone could have expected from him. The movie's dark look and impressive design works well and definitely makes the film all the more watchable and enjoyable. All in all, "Solomon Kane" is far from being a perfect fantasy flick, but it has enough good in it to make room for improvement in the future. Considering the lack of fantasy films these days, I wholeheartedly welcome "Solomon Kane" and look forward to a possible sequel.

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>>> Andrei S.