Solomon Kane (2009)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Michael J. Bassett

Writers:

Michael J. Bassett (screenplay)
Robert E. Howard (character)

Release Date:

23 December 2009 (France)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Plot:

A mercenary who owes his soul to the devil redeems himself by fighting evil. |

Plot Keywords:

England | Violence | Puritan | Robert E. Howard | 1550s

Cast

James Babson	...	Skinhead
Laura Baranik	...	Prisoner
Geoff Bell	...	Beard
Matthew Blood-Smyth	...	Merton
Brian Caspe	...	Priest
John Comer	...	Erasmus Woolman
Mackenzie Crook	...	Father Michael
Christian Dunckley Clark	...	Lieutenant Malthus
Jason Flemyng	...	Malachi
Patrick Hurd-Wood	...	Samuel Crowthorn
Rachel Hurd-Wood	...	Meredith Crowthorn
Ryan James	...	Raider
Alice Krige	...	Katherine Crowthorn
Rory McCann	...	McNess
Andrea Miltner	...	Captive
Kenny Mitchell	...	Raider
Stewart Moore	...	Garrick
Beryl Nesbitt	...	Old Crone
Mark O'Neal	...	Kanes Soldier
Pete Postlethwaite	...	William Crowthorn
James Purefoy	...	Solomon Kane
Samuel Roukin	...	Marcus Kane
Robert Russell	...	Abbott
Ben Steel	...	Fletcher
Lucas Stone	...	Young Solomon
Gordon Truefitt	...	Stable Master
Marek Vasut	...	Tattoo
Max von Sydow	...	Josiah Kane
Philip Waley	...	Alfie the Drunk
Andrew Whitlaw	...	Older Monk
Ian Whyte	...	Reaper
Anthony Wilks	...	Edward Crowthorn
Philip Winchester	...	Telford

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

France | Czech Republic | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (RCA Sound Recording)

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Krizeneckeho namesti, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Davis-Films

Quotes:

Solomon Kane: I was never more at home than I was at battle.

What was the point?

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I realize most people don't know who Solomon Kane is and that the film is pitched at that much larger audience. But then why bother to call it "Solomon Kane" in the first place when the name has no marketable value? The characters certainly has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the R.E. Howard character. Except he has a big hat. That's where the resemblance ends.

It's always a bad sign when any superhero/fantasy/sci-fi movie lingers over an origin story, but when you invent one whole cloth like this for a character who didn't have one at all, you've already missed the point completely. Kane is no longer even the fanatical Christian warrior of the stories, but rather a formerly bad guy who is trying to save his soul (this part is in the opening scene).

With the most basic character elements changed or simply ignored, the use of the name Solomon Kane is simply perplexing. Is it just so they can say "From the creator of Conan" and hope to plug into a budding franchise if the new "Conan" movie gets off the ground? Ignoring the complete departure from the stories, the movie is competent if utterly generic for the first half but then devolves into sheer stupidity in the climactic scene which involves multiple super baddies (think three "boss levels" at the same time), none of whom is the least bit interesting or menacing.

If I wasn't a Kane fan who was disappointed that they completely ignored the source material, I'd probably give the film a 3 or 4 instead of a 1. Even for the (majority of) viewers who will come into this knowing nothing about Kane, it's pretty thin gruel.