Brutal in its depictions of violence, Brimstone is tough to watch at times, but never less than gripping, even as the clock creeps up to the 150-minute mark.
The landscapes are beautifully shot and Fanning is an engaging presence throughout, yet the punishing themes make contact like a blunt instrument.
Fanning has a fiercely defiant presence and Pearce is a kind of low-decibel Nic Cage: an outrageously operatic performance, kept in bounds. It holds together for over two hours, before unravelling in the last quarter of an hour.
A pretentious and portentous western that takes a mimetic approach to showing how brutal frontier life was for women by victimising and subjugating its female characters for much of its two-and-a-half hour running time.
Some nice ingredients, but all placed together, tastes pretty foul.
The film looks beautiful but is deeply unpleasant to watch.
This strikingly photographed story of a vengeful preacher and his victims in America’s old west revels too much in its savagery towards women.
General release. Check local listings for show times.