REVIEW: THE BRUTALIST

4/5

Brute Strength 

202 Mins. Starring: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé & Alessandro Nivola. Screenplay: Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold. Director: Brady Corbet. In: Theatres.

VistaVision captures the lady perfectly in an outstanding overture. The Statue of Liberty in all her glory. Turned on her head. Just like the state of America right now. Immigrating to the United States, 'The Pianist' Oscar winning Best Actor Adrien Brody's Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor finds a new home in New York. Fresh off the Ellis Island boat like his scene-stealing villain in 'Peaky Blinders', albeit in a different way. All before flying to Philadelphia like an eagle for an emotional embrace and reunion with Alessandro Nivola in this epic, fresh off the Greyhound bus. 

The joy disembarking in both is as potent as the restoration of the filmed VistaVision format, or the palpable and at times purposefully jarring score by Daniel Blumberg, feeling like the best of the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto or Ennio Morricone. The classic cinematography from Lol Crawley makes this epic Brady Corbet ('Vox Lox') movie exactly that, co-written with his wife Mona Fastvold, like everything after Corbet's feature film debut 'Simon Killer'. 'The Brutalist' is brutal, beautiful and brilliant. Even inspiring the interlude return of the intermission, and a perfect portrait to count down your toilet time, like a Tarantino 'Hateful Eight'.

It sure needs it at three hours and thirty-five minutes. Perfect for beautiful cinemas like the Bunkamura Le Cinema in Tokyo, Japan. Yet, this long-winded movie that will knock the steam out of your sheets and trajectory off of your sails is utterly compelling. This influential art-piece is truly interesting. Incredible, as it paints a picture of persistence over persecution. Iconic all the way down to the traditional titles that will have you tilting your head to match its march up the celluloid. This theatrical period drama is about to lap up the Oscars at the 97th Academy Awards. Ten nominations highlighted by Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. Leading the way is the already BAFTA winning Brody, with a Golden Globe under his arm. 

After amazing in 'The Pianist', Adrien has a chance to do it again. In his new moment, Adrien Brody has been on the margins of late since becoming the youngest actor to ever win an Oscar (at 29). 'King Kong', Salvador Dalí in 'Midnight In Paris', amongst many movies by Wes Anderson (everything in 'The Darjeeling Limited') as another frequent and favourite collaborator. Highlighted by his heartbreaking brief black and white turn in 'Asteroid City' and his perfect slicked back cast as legendary NBA coach Pat Riley in 'Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty'. But this. This is it! A true tour de force. Everything.

Adrien is the architect of this performance piece. He truly carries this epic for 202 minutes of fixed gazes and expressions, but it's not just him. Whether it be the first act's (Part 1's 'The Enigma Of Arrival') charm of Nivola (a far cry from his cop character in 'The Room Next Door') with starch in his shirt. Or what the great Felicity Jones ('The Theory Of Everything', 'On The Basis Of Sex' and 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story') does after intermission and in her final act. 'Kind Of Kindness' star Joe Alwyn leaning into the swift reputation he got online as the villain (he's not. No one is in love and war), the kindness of Stacy Martin and the coldness of Emma Laird also stir. Whilst the 'Dark Shadows' of Raffey Cassidy show us what we're really fighting for. Yet it's 'LA Confidential' actor Guy Pearce's piercing entrance (his anger making his 'Lawless' character seem tame) to his own house that will truly shock you to the core with what's to come in the ensuing character conflictions. Many here are beyond much redemption, but you can still hold out for hope when it comes to Isaach de Bankolé's friend like no other to the bitter end.

A24, of course, for sure.  A.I. problems aside (but let's face it, this is not the biggest blunder of Academy controversy, right now). Once you realize this is not the American dream (I'm pretty sure you got that from Lady Liberty turned upside down), life becomes so much more. And this reflection of a life raging against addiction and abuse could just as well be a mirror for the modern day and way. And all the parlour tricks we perform to convince ourselves otherwise. Here is your statement movie to show you just how much persecution Jewish people have gone through and continue to after the war and the Nazi regime that tried to erase them from earth...but they never could. If you thought this movie was about to be another fine-tuned 'Pianist', think again. It's just as bad. If not much worse for the scars it leaves down the tracks and tears of this railroaded life and time. And just as monumental a movie. 

A man who knows the evil that men do has already written his life script, although he yearns to flip the table and build it differently. From cold concrete to a cross to bear on the floor. Another whose anger with extreme prejudice can't be hidden behind the sinister shades of success and slick words. Whose warmth is really as cool as snake blood. And a boy who just wishes he was the man his father wanted him to be.  Even though the men he and his father really are carry a shame generational anger can't even tame. Bruising. Yet the real gut punch comes from the formidable Felicity. 'The Brutalist' will not sell you a dream draped in stars and stripes. Arguing that it's the destination, not actually the journey. But when it comes to the liberation of this legendary long-form, it might actually be both. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'The Pianist', 'There Will Be Blood', 'Once Upon A Time In America'.