The plot: After a life of violence and greed, a damned man comes face-to-face with demons trying to collect his soul. Scared straight, his redemption is put to the test when he faces an evil sorcerer and his corrupted minions.
Solomon Kane is a film that favors atmosphere, visuals, and dark themes. It's not terribly interested in telling an original story, being historically accurate, or appealing to anyone but hardcore fans of dark fantasy. The special effects are a bit low budget, but I did not find them off-putting. Instead, I was more annoyed by the script, which was derivative and formulaic. If you've seen the same films that the director has, then you'll recognize his influences and guess the entire plot rather quickly. There are few surprises here, but if you're a fan of the genre, you'll probably be able to forgive these faults. The acting is pretty good, and the main character is interesting; at the very least, Purefoy manages to be charismatic enough to carry the film, even if his character is one-note. Given how violent this film is, few of the characters manage to stay alive long enough to have much characterization, but I thought the actors breathed some life into these familiar archetypes. By the standards of an action film, the themes are fairly deep, but they are hilariously superficial by the standards of an art-house film. Action film fans are not interested in watching a character wrestle with inner turmoil for two hours; they want to know whether the action scenes are competent and the character knows when to stop brooding and kick some ass. Fortunately, the action scenes are quite competent, and this character knows the appropriate amount of time to brood. He is also quite keenly aware of when it's time to kick ass. For these reasons, the film is ultimately rendered enjoyable, despite any problems that it may have.
If you walk in expecting a big budget extravaganza or a heavily plotted masterpiece, divorced from its pulp roots, I think you're going to be very disappointed. If, on the other hand, you're here to see a brooding, dark hero kill demons and witches, you may walk away satisfied.
Solomon Kane is a film that favors atmosphere, visuals, and dark themes. It's not terribly interested in telling an original story, being historically accurate, or appealing to anyone but hardcore fans of dark fantasy. The special effects are a bit low budget, but I did not find them off-putting. Instead, I was more annoyed by the script, which was derivative and formulaic. If you've seen the same films that the director has, then you'll recognize his influences and guess the entire plot rather quickly. There are few surprises here, but if you're a fan of the genre, you'll probably be able to forgive these faults. The acting is pretty good, and the main character is interesting; at the very least, Purefoy manages to be charismatic enough to carry the film, even if his character is one-note. Given how violent this film is, few of the characters manage to stay alive long enough to have much characterization, but I thought the actors breathed some life into these familiar archetypes. By the standards of an action film, the themes are fairly deep, but they are hilariously superficial by the standards of an art-house film. Action film fans are not interested in watching a character wrestle with inner turmoil for two hours; they want to know whether the action scenes are competent and the character knows when to stop brooding and kick some ass. Fortunately, the action scenes are quite competent, and this character knows the appropriate amount of time to brood. He is also quite keenly aware of when it's time to kick ass. For these reasons, the film is ultimately rendered enjoyable, despite any problems that it may have.
If you walk in expecting a big budget extravaganza or a heavily plotted masterpiece, divorced from its pulp roots, I think you're going to be very disappointed. If, on the other hand, you're here to see a brooding, dark hero kill demons and witches, you may walk away satisfied.