Review of Solomon Kane (2009) by Mathew B — 03 Nov 2011

Surprisingly assured action piece which ultimately can't break the mould but is a nice addition to the genre. Bassett who wrote and directed has extracted every cent from his budget and has made a striking film which evokes the Howard universe and all its darkness.

The problem is that like all origin stories we pretty much know each part of the story which is a shame as a Kane story set in the New World might have had a much more impactful narrative.

The cast is excellent. Lead by Purefoy but abley supported by actors like von Sydow and Postlethwait: and in fact the whole ensemble is a notch above. The whole film is played straight, no campiness and its all the better for it.

Unfortunately, the heavy lifting of an uninspired plotline starts to tell but till then and especially in the first half,the film looks magnificent and clips along at a good pace.

If Bassett directs next time with a similar budget then you might get something memorable.