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The Brutalist (2024)

 

The Brutalist is a historical fiction set in the forties and fifties about a Jewish man who survived the holocaust. 

Written and directed by Brady Corbet, the film is primed with being nominated for an Oscar. I have never seen a movie done by him before, but I did see him in Funny Games and it makes me wonder where the quality of filmmaking came from. While the Venice Film Festival has loved Corbet for years, this might be the first time he gets more wide recognition. 

He relies on lead actor Adrien Brody to carry the film. Brody can channel the emotions needed to sell the film. I first saw him in The Pianist, and this film tries to recreate that spark. Alessandro Nivola plays a supporting character in the film who was recently in the nearly horrible Kraven: The Hunter. It's not like the film will hurt from him being in it at the super limited box office as it is only available in four theaters. It's smart for Corbet to keep the camera focused on Brody for most of the film.

Emma Laird plays a quite annoying character, which I believe to be by design. She has this pissed-off look the entire time. She hasn't been in anything good and the only thing of note is A Haunting in Venice.  I don't get why she has three upcoming projects if she keeps putting out effort like this, perhaps she has the right connections. Isaach De Bankole is also in the film and adds a layer to the film I wasn't expecting. You might recognize him from Casino Royale.

Guy Pearce shows up with a force that could have come across as overacting and has to carry his time with Nivola not carrying his weight but Brody easily elevates his performance. While Pearce has more misses than hits, although he can do well with a good director, see Memento and L.A. Confidential. 

I'm glad to see Hollywood hasn't given up on Felicity Jones after Rogue One's failure at the box office. She hasn't had a good movie to shine since The Theory of Everything so it's wonderful to see her again.

The film is long but has some great dialogue and acting. 

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