 Tagline: Fight evil... With evil. When you make a deal with the devil. There will be hell to pay. Captain Solomon Kane (James Purefoy) is a brutally efficient 16th Century killing machine. Armed with his signature pistols, cutlass and rapier, he and his men unleash their bloodlust as they fight for England in war after war on all continents. As the story opens, Kane and his band of pillagers are carving a bloody path through hordes of defenders in an exotic city in northern Africa. But, when Kane decides to attack a mysterious nearby castle to plunder its rumored riches, his mission takes a fateful turn. One by one, Kane's men are picked off by demonic creatures until he alone is left to face the Devil's own Reaper -- dispatched from the depths of Hell to lay claim to his hopelessly corrupt soul. Though Kane at last manages to escape, he knows that he now must redeem himself by renouncing violence and devoting himself wholly to a life of peace and purity.Captain Solomon Kane is a brutally efficient 16th Century killing machine. Armed with his signature pistols, cutlass and rapier, he and his men unleash their bloodlust as they fight for England in war after war on all continents. As the story opens, Kane and his band of pillagers are carving a bloody path through hordes of defenders in an exotic city in northern Africa. But, when Kane decides to attack a mysterious nearby castle to plunder its rumored riches, his mission takes a fateful turn. One by one, Last viewed on 09/06/2013. himself by renouncing violence and devoting himself wholly to a life of peace and purity. Storyline: Once a mercenary of Queen Elizabeth I fighting Spaniards in Africa, Solomon met the Devil's Reaper and discovered he was bound for hell. Barely escaping, he soon renounced violence to atone for his past sins, seeking out redemption in a life of peace. That is until the followers of sorcerer Malachi kidnap a Puritan girl, Meredith Crowthorn, and brutally slaughter her family before his very eyes, forcing Solomon to take up arms and return to his violent ways once more to rescue her. Written by corsos, corrected by Pike84 Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov on July 6, 2010 -- Michael J. Bassett's Solomon Kane is a dark and at times surprisingly violent film about a man (James Purefoy, Photo Finish) whose soul is owed to the Devil. It is not immediately clear why, but as the film progresses, flashbacks from his past reveal that it is most likely because he committed a terrible crime. Hoping to restore his soul, the man enters a monastery in the heart of puritan England. He immediately vows never to kill again and tries hard to forget his past. Unfortunately, his badly scarred body reminds him of it daily. A priest tells the man that he must get back amongst the people to spread the word of God. The man follows his advice and leaves. Shortly after, he meets a friendly family of four on their way to the New World. They spend a few days together and the man tells them about his sins. A gang of evil warriors appear and kill everyone but the man and the family's beautiful daughter (Rachel Hurd-Wood, Dorian Gray). They take the girl and crucify the man. Amazingly, the man is saved by a group of strangers, one (Christian Dunckley Clark) of which tells him that many moons ago he was his captain. The man and his saviors then set out on a journey to free the girl and punish the men who killed her family. Solomon Kane was inspired by the works of American writer Robert E. Howard, who is best known for his legendary character Conan the Barbarian. Director Bassett, a lifelong fan of Kane, also wrote the script to the film. Shot on location in the Czech Republic, the film looks gorgeous. In addition to the carefully lensed panoramic vistas, there are also a variety of beyond impressive special effects that should warm the hearts of fantasy junkies whose last serious treat was likely Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The final third of the film, in particular, delivers big. While there is plenty of style in Solomon Kane, however, substance is mostly missing. Kane's character transformation, for example, is ineffective, which is why many of his brave deeds look and feel odd. His relationship with the young girl who apparently steals his heart is also notably underdeveloped. As a result, when the final credits roll Kane feels more like a fascinating stranger rather than a great hero one would want to see in action again. The pacing of the film is also problematic. Right from the get-go everything moves at such an incredible speed that some of the footage looks as if it was taken straight out of a video game. The dialog, even for a genre film, isn't terribly strong either. James Purefoy was definitely the right man to play Kane. He looks buff and tough, and most of the time pretty serious about hurting those who disagree with him. Someone also did a terrific job with that giant cross he has on his back. There are a couple of strong cameos as well, most notably Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father) and Max von Sydow's (Pelle the Conqueror). Lastly, Solomon Kane benefits from a surprisingly effective score courtesy of Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl). The music truly has an epic feel that compliments the film's lavish visuals very well. Note: Earlier this year, Solomon Kane won the Audience Jury Award at the Fantasporto, in Porto, Portugal. There is more style than substance in Solomon Kane, but I suppose this is precisely why many people would want to see it. For the most part, I enjoyed it. I think that if you choose to see it on a lazy Sunday afternoon, you will as well. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Entertainment in Video, looks very good and sounds outstanding. RECOMMENDED. [CSW] -3.6- A sword and sorcery tale that is based on a character created by Robert E. Howard (the man who birthed Conan). The film is serious and not silly, the way so many live action fantasy films can be. It has more thoughtful talk than you normally expect and the battle scenes pretty well done. There's a genuinely creepy scene with zombies underground and the digital effects are pretty well done. The whole film plays more like a pilot for a series rather than a complete work in and of itself, but no one can make a film like this anymore without visions of trilogies dancing in their heads. The pace was good, the characters well developed and the story line flowed well. What more can you say about a film that has numerous decapitated heads rolling around every blood splattered action scene and with its darker twists on religious views, Solomon Kane winds up delivering a blood-soaked cinematic delight. [V4.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box. Cast Notes: James Purefoy (Solomon Kane), Mark O'Neal (Kane's Soldier #1), Robert Orr (Kane's Soldier #2), Richard Ryan (Kane's Soldier #3), Frantisek Deak (Cowering Guard), Christian Dunckley Clark (Lieutenant Malthus [as Christian Michael Dunkley Clark]), Ian Whyte (Devil's Reaper), Thomas McEnchroe (Young Monk), Andrew Whitlaw (Older Monk), Robert Russell (Abbott), James Babson (Skinhead), Marek Vasut (Tattoo), Geoff Bell (Beard), Max von Sydow (Josiah Kane), Lucas Stone (Young Solomon).
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