Coriolanus (2011)

Ralph Fiennes had been acting in Shakespeare adaptations for years before stepping behind the camera for the first time here, having notably played Hamlet on stage in the 1990s and appeared in several high-profile productions in between. His modern-dress transposition of one of Shakespeare's less-performed late tragedies was shot largely in Serbia and Montenegro, standing in for a contemporary Rome that borrows its visual grammar from the Balkans conflicts of the recent past. BBC Film co-produced on a modest budget of around $7.7 million, which shows in the grittier, more televisual look Fiennes pursues. Gerard Butler, then best known for 300, takes the role of Aufidius, while Vanessa Redgrave (not top-billed but central to the film) plays Volumnia.

A-Z World Movie Tour Montenegro Ralph Fiennes’ directorial take on Coriolanus is an ambitious attempt to bridge Shakespeare’s verse with modern political warfare, setting the tragedy of the Roman general against a backdrop of tabloid journalism, televised rallies, and urban conflict. The concept works better in theory than execution. While I appreciated the decision to retain the original Early Modern English (the language cuts through the contemporary setting with a certain gravitas) the overall impact is diluted by a tone that’s consistently grim without being gripping. It’s a film that feels important, but rarely compelling. Fiennes gives a solid, physically imposing performance in the title role, capturing Coriolanus’ arrogance and emotional rigidity, but the character’s fundamental unlikeability isn’t transcended, it’s just reinforced. Unlike Julius Caesar or Hamlet, there’s little internal conflict to latch onto; Coriolanus is prideful, scornful, and alienating from start to finish, and the film doesn’t do enough to make his downfall feel tragic rather than inevitable. Vanessa Redgrave, as Volumnia, delivers a powerhouse monologue late on, but even her raw emotion can’t fully elevate the material. The decision to use handheld “shakycam” for battle sequences and political unrest (presumably to evoke a war documentary feel) only adds to the film’s fatigue. It’s disorienting without being immersive, robbing key scenes of clarity and weight. And while the modernisation has flashes of insight, it never reaches the electrifying fusion of style and substance achieved by Baz Luhrmann in Romeo + Juliet. Made on a modest budget and returning barely a third at the box office, Coriolanus feels like a noble effort that ultimately underwhelms.

Rating: ★★  | Year: 2011  | Watched: 2025-07-25

View on Letterboxd →

Where to watch (UK)

Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More with Ralph Fiennes: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) · Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) · 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) · The Prince of Egypt (1998)
More from Italy: Nightmare City (1980) · Cemetery Man (1994) · One Way or Another (1975) · Chicken for Linda! (2023)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
More thriller: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Angst (1983) · The Long Walk (2025) · Punishment Park (1971)