Coriolanus (2011)

"To be or not..." ...nope, wrong story. Since I'm not seeing a live play very often, I told myself to upgrade a bit my knowledge in the dramatic area and I tried watching "Coriolanus", a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy. I tried = I did it on the 2nd attempt, the first one failed by sleeping...

We're talking about a classic play, therefore we shouldn't be afraid of spoilers. In the context of the Roman-Volsci conflict (where Volsci was a tribe located close to Rome), the Roman general Caius Martius returns home after conquering the city of Corioli. Welcomed with honors and the title of Coriolanus following the victory, the general decides to run for the consul position. The political intrigue, however, present there as always in history, changes dramatically the public opinion about the man, or otherwise said we have here the definition of "from hero to zero". And like that from being favorite for ruling, Coriolanus ends up exiled. And the best option for a frustrated military with a long career behind is turning towards the closest enemy. And like that, serving the Volsci now, he starts the siege on Rome. And Rome, losing its main defender now turned attacker, asks for forgiveness and peace using Coriolanus' mother and wife. He can't say no to them, which is not very convenient for the Volsci leader. End of Coriolanus, end of story.

Leaving aside that Shakespeare in original is meant to be played on stage, not on a movie set (where it's impossible to avoid the effect of the typical dialogue that creates on screen some unbearable lengths that are not present on the stage), the major problem of this movie is the modern approach. So, what's the modern part... all above is set in the present day, somewhere in the Balkans probably, shot with a visibly low budget (maybe a reason for the chosen location), but it's keeping all of the original context: the geography, the names, the lines. I've seen adaptations of other plays, but I doubt I was ever so annoyed by the ridiculous association between the Shakespearean dialogues or monologues and the context they're set in. The cherry on top, the Volsci leader, Tullus Aufidius, is a Gerard Butler using his natural Scottish accent and is carrying an AK being dressed a Cuban revolutionary uniform (or a Bosnian considering the probable location). And that's just one example. As good as the actors might be, sorry, but it doesn't work...

Rating: 2 out of 5