Brimstone (2017)

Memorable, crazy movie

Don't Believe the Hype

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Told in a series of flashback narratives before returning to the present day of the story. "Brimstone" is a harrowing look at the life of a woman on the run from her past but irrevocably forced to confront the man who destroyed her successive families. One would be hard pressed to encounter a more despicable villain in cinema than the character of The Reverend (Guy Pearce), who's interpretation of the Bible goes only one way, and that's to his evil advantage. He is so sinister in fact, that he knows his immortal soul is eventually doomed, yet pursues his mission of hate filled revenge against a daughter who had the temerity to stand up for herself. There are times when a non-linear story is a problem, but here I thought it worked quite well without being too confusing. The technique was particularly noteworthy in explaining how the young girl Joanna (portrayed by Emilia Jones) became the woman named Elizabeth Brundy, upon assuming the identity of a murdered prostitute in the town of Bismuth. This following a successful escape from her home before further abuse could be dealt by her preacher father. The revelation that The Reverend is in fact Joanna's father doesn't come totally out of left field if one follows the story closely, but still registers a shock that carries through for the rest of the picture.I probably would have given this movie a ten rating but a number of minor points detracted from a perfect score. There was no explanation for the behavior of Eli's (William Houston) son Matthew (Jack Hollington) in his denial of Liz (Dakota Fanning) as his real mother. If there was resentment against her because she replaced his own mother who died, that wouldn't have been too difficult to explain. Then there was the latrine hanging scene in which Samuel (Kit Harington) killed his partner. The logistics of that scene really didn't work very well, as it seemed to me that the guy being hung had better leverage than he made use of, his feet continuously slipping off the latrine seat which was all he would have needed to save himself. His scattershot firing was also ill placed, had he shot straight up all three times he might have scored a hit to save himself as well. Having never experienced that type of situation, maybe I'm just being too critical.And finally, there was Liz's escape with her hands tied behind her back when The Reverend got the upper hand in the cabin. I don't doubt that there may be a person limber enough to pull off that feat, but I think the odds dictate against. Still, it was a triumphant moment for the aggrieved woman after witnessing the cursed Reverend flay her daughter while stating "I will beat your mother out of you". For the moment, it was a temporary victory for a woman who decided at an early age that she would never be one to turn the other cheek. It was not surprising then, that when arrested, Liz's final act of triumph would be to take her own life, rather than succumb to the frontier justice of men who interpreted laws in their own fashion.

About a third of the way into this I was thinking it a somewhat Cormac McCarthy-esque type of film, only without the good writing. But, still, interesting in a fashion. Then it falls off the rails. Sure, life was brutal for women in the day, but none of the female characters here helped themselves at all, only made the absolute worst decisions at the worst times. Also, most men are horrible jerks or criminals, and the very few good men are dumb as oxen. Finally, why don't film characters ever realize that guns are NOT knives? You don't have to get so close to someone as to touch them--or allow them to take your gun and kill you with it. Oh, that's right: BAD WRITING! Stand back a few feet and just pull the trigger WITHOUT the grandstanding speech. Sheesh! That's where I booked out, end of third act. Too late for me; save yourselves, and take a pass.

This is one of the most sickening, disgusting movies I have ever seen in my life. I couldn't even get half way through the movie without getting sick to my stomach. Very disappointed. The actors were good, but the story line is disturbing.

Not bad, not good. it is a good drama, but with many flaws. dakota and guy are great actors, but i find the plot appealing TOO MUCH. about kit harington: the impression is that they put him in the cast just to fill sausage, unfortunately nothing had to add useful to the plot.