Solomon Kane (2009)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film introduces 17th century super-hero Solomon Kane (James Purefoy). The opening and ending scenes are filled with special effects and sequences of a 5 star film. Unfortunately the filler isn't as great. Kane comes from a family of wealth and nobility. He rejects his role in life to establish his own, a treasure seeking killer. When the devil attempts to claim Kane's soul, Kane balks and looks for a path of redemption, one that evil forces him to leave.Unfortunately the film plunged from its opening scene. Bad guys have less of the super natural special effects and Kane fights like a normal person. His relationship with Meribeth (Rachel Hurd-Wood) sputters in its development.Makes a decent rental.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.

Solomon is about good vs evil and solomon must save a girl from the evil and he will do anything this was action pack movie

RELEASED IN 2009 and written/directed by Michael J. Bassett, "Solomon Kane" is Bassett's version of Robert E. Howard's character (Howard was a pulp writer and the creator of Conan and Kull). Kane is a dour English Puritan with cold features shadowed by a slouch hat. Garbed in black, his weaponry consists of a rapier, a dagger and flintlock pistols; his wandering mission is simple: vanquish evil. James Purefoy plays the titular hero and Rachel Hurd-Wood the maiden he must rescue. Max von Sydow appears as his father. Alice Krige is also on hand.I'm a fan of Howard (and Conan) and have read a few of his Kane stories, but I'm not familiar enough with the character to know how far Bassett deviates from the source material, although Howard purists say it's too far (yeah, like Stone's version of Conan didn't deviate). Whatever the case, the hero in the movie looks and acts like Howard's Solomon Kane and the costuming and locations are exemplary; the cast is good as well. The tone is a mixture of historical grit and comic book cartoonish-ness, the latter mainly in regard to the sorcery elements and villains (Isabel Bassett, James Babson, Samuel Roukin, Jason Flemyng, etc.).This is a story of redemption as Kane, a murdering, lucre-loving privateer, is transformed after facing evil incarnate and taking a vow of peace. He ultimately becomes a Puritan avenger where the salvation of his soul is contingent upon rescuing a Puritan girl. While the plot is good, the mounting unbiblical gobbledygook is convoluted, eye-rolling and unnecessary.I thought I'd love this film and it IS great to look at and has a quality score. You can't beat the grim tone, the awe-inspiring locations and the excellent costuming and post-Medieval sets. Moreover Purefoy is perfect as the mysterious protagonist. Unfortunately, it's all for naught as the storytelling is unabsorbing and the characters are dull, except for maybe Kane. It's also listless and predictable. In other words, Bassett got everything right EXCEPT the script. What a shame and a waste. For comparison, imagine the 2011 version of "Conan the Barbarian," but a few notches LESS interesting and you'd have a good idea of "Solomon Kane." Still, it LOOKS awesome. THE MOVIE RUNS 104 minutes and was shot in the Czech Republic and England.GRADE: C-

This film kept popping up in my recommendations - so I finally broke down to get the DVD. I must say this film is much better than I ever expected and very glad it was in my recommendations! The back of the DVD compares this film to the LotR Trilogy - but I don't see that. I love the LotR Trilogy and I have fallen for Solomon Kane too but they are not comparable films. Some has suggested Van Helsing but I don't see a comparison to Van Helsing either. Solomon Kane is a film all of it's own - but yes it's just as good as the LotR Trilogy and Van Helsing. I would compare this film more to another good film called Black Death - if I was forced to make a comparison.Solomon Kane is a really good story - super good cinematography, costumes, sets - and I actually think the acting is very good too. Special effects are good, not over done or misused in any way.8.5/10