by James Hudnall
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/
When I heard they were making a film of Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane, I wasn’t sure I’d be happy about it. Howard was the creator of Conan the Barbarian; he is one of the handful of writers like JRR Tolkien and Edgar Rice Burroughs who helped make fantasy fiction popular and defined it for generations. As a teenager, Howard was one of my favorite writers. His stories had a dark, powerful energy that’s largely unmatched. Solomon Kane was my favorite of his characters, a puritan avenger in early America fighting all kinds of supernatural monsters and demons with a vengeance. He’s a very original character and a serious bad ass. Howard’s heroes are hardcore, macho to the Nth degree. They are the alpha male incarnate. No one has handled Robert E Howard well, in my opinion. Most comics failed to do him justice (except maybe some artists). I hated the Conan and Red Sonia movies. So I was wary of any new film effort.But then I saw the trailer and my mood changed. (See the trailor at the official movie link below).
This is not the lame rip off that Van Helsing was, this is a faithful adaption of Howard with no tongue-in-cheek, campy scenes. Here’s a hero who’s fighting evil in the name of God, something you don’t see much anymore. And he’s not afraid of taking on whatever comes his way, no matter how terrifying it may be. He’s fierce and unwavering and even demons from hell better think twice about pissing him off. My kind of character.
I saw the film and I can tell you that it’s way better than you’d expect. Excellent music, effects, acting. A top notch supporting cast which includes Max Von Sydow and Pete Postlethwaite, but even better, a great leading man in the title role, James Purefoy. Purefoy rocked Rome as Marc Antony and is perfect here. Purefoy does Howard’s character right.
Yes, it’s got demons, witches, and warlocks in it. It’s full on, unapologetic pulp fantasy and it’s definitely on point. Most fantasy films fail to pull it off because they don’t understand the rules. They either let some actors chew scenery or they throw in attempts at humor that undermine the suspense of disbelief needed to keep you with the story. Writer/director Michael J. Bassett knows how to do fantasy. The film is solidly entertaining from start to finish.
In what the creators hope to be part one of a trilogy, this film tells Kane’s origin. He starts off as a ferocious mercenary, leading his men to storm a castle in the middle east. Inside the castle hell seems to have been unleashed on those within. Kane’s men die one by one and when he meets the demonic creature at its summit, it tells him the devil owns his soul, that he is damned. Kane escapes, haunted by the experience and goes to live in a monastery. He renounces all violence and vows to devote himself to prayer. But the head monk makes Solomon leave, telling him that God spoke to him in a dream and said Solomon has more important tasks out there in the world.
On the way across England, in the dead of winter, he comes upon a family of pilgrims who take him in. They’re heading for the coast where they plan to catch a ship for America. He joins them for a time, but they don’t make it too far. Evil crosses their path and Kane is forced to break his vows. Like the man says: “If I kill you, I am bound for hell. It is a price I will gladly pay.”
And then he starts dealing out the pain in a way that would make Robert E. Howard proud.
Solomon Kane will be released by Rogue Pictures later this year.
Link:
http://solomonkanethemovie.com/
Tags: Conan the Barbarian, James Purefoy, Max von Sydow, Michael J. Bassett, Pete Postlethwaite, Robert E Howard, Rogue Pictures, Solomon Kane
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