Based on the Shakespeare play of the same name, Ralph Fiennes’ directorial debut CORIOLANUS is a tense and timeless political thriller based around power broking, political manipulation and the arguments and prejudices of opposing social extremes. The backdrop is a republic caught up in a long and bitter war.
But at its heart is the personal journey of Caius Martius, the noble, but also complex, ‘Coriolanus’ of the title. His honour, courage and confident self-belief– all carefully nurtured and conditioned by his mother and central to his success as a great military leader - are also the eventual cause of his destruction. His frustration and anger at the pressures placed upon him to compromise his political and social principles is his great tragedy. The hero’s personal and political struggles, and the state of the society in which he lives, are as relevant now as when the play, and Plutarch’s original source story, were written.
Synopsis
Caius Martius ‘Coriolanus’ (RALPH FIENNES), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (VANESSA REDGRAVE) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuse to support him, Coriolanus’s anger prompts a riot which culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (GERARD BUTLER) to take his revenge on the city.
Coriolanus is released in cinemas Friday 20th January 2012
*Random fact: Watch out for a cameo by news reader Jon Snow as...well, as a news reader!
View Trailer Here
