Solomon Kane (2012)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Solomon Kane's formulaic and bleak narrative is overcome by an entertaining, straightforward adherence to its genre, exciting gore, and a gratifying lead performance by James Purefoy.
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Cast
as William Crowthorn
as Josiah Kane
as Malachi
as Katherine Crowthorn
as Solomon Kane
as Meredith Crowthorn
as Michael
as Beard
as Telford
as Raider Captain
as Skinhead
as Devil's Reaper
as McNess
as Kane's Soldier 3
as Abbot
as Edward Crowthorn
as Tattoo
as Marcus Kane/Overlord
as Onlooker
as Raider
as Lieutenant Malthus
as Prisoner
as Merton
as Samuel Crowthorn
as Stable Master
as Kane's Soldier 2
as Drunk
as Old Crone
as Prisoner
as Raider
as Another Raider
as Old Woman Captive
as Old Man
as Fletcher
as Landlord
as Cowering Guard
as Hawkstone
as Smith
as Gilligan
as Eye Patch
as Kane's Soldier 1
as Young Monk
as Older Monk
as Young Solomon
as The Witch
as Garrick
as Young Sarah
as Raider
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Critic Reviews for Solomon Kane
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (15)
Few characters have much to do but grunt and scream and bleed.
Been there, done that.
"Solomon Kane" succeeds by embracing its identity as a straightforward genre exercise, complete with bone-crunching and blood-spurting action. By not aiming for more, it hits its target.
Who knew there were skinhead and zombie equivalents in late-Elizabethan England?
It's hardly original (and Max von Sydow is wasted in brief scenes as Kane's father), but "Solomon Kane" is worthy of big-screen appreciation.
Mr. Basset is too enamored of the usual action film clichés ... But he has a graphic visual style that suits the simplistic material and he keeps you watching even as the wet, sucking sounds of skewered flesh grows tedious.
Audience Reviews for Solomon Kane
It started out with some promise, with decent performance by Peter Postlethwaite (I hope for posterity, this wasn't his last film!), but it devolved into an incomprehensible slurry at the end with bigger holes in the plot than had the Titanic. The costumes and special effects were commendable -- but what really was the point of it all?
Super Reviewer
Decent mystery adventure film based on old pulp novels that lives off its really great locations and set pieces that look and feel real, making for a great gloomy medieval atmosphere. Even though the characters remain somewhat one-dimensional and the showdown is rather short, the film does never fail to entertain.
Super Reviewer
A murderous pirate renounces his evil ways in the hope of saving his soul from damnation but is drawn back to his violent ways when an evil sorcerer's army invades the land. Solomon Kane reminded me of a Hammer Studios period chiller done in the style of The Lord Of The Rings. The medieval setting and religious imagery of something like The Witchfinder General combine with some bloody, rain and mud soaked battle sequences to create a believably grimy world of superstition and violence that makes a nice backdrop to James Purefoy's intense central performance and it's this grittiness that makes it stand out from the never-ending crowd of Hollywood style comic strip action films. Unfortunately and almost inevitably, the script lets the side down; this is the third fantasy inspired action film I've seen this week, and the third that includes a plot revolving around a tough, amoral warrior that faces his nemesis to rescue a kidnapped damsel in distress. How original. And anyone who fails to guess the identity of the masked villain would have to be a paste eater on a Ralph Wiggum level. The cheesy CGI monsters tacked on to the beginning and end of this otherwise brutally realistic hack and slasher clearly compromise its vision and it's a shame that film makers today feel the need to play to the cheap seats in this way, every single time. Still, thanks to some strong performances and quality production design, it's easily the best of the three.
Super Reviewer
Solomon Kane Quotes
| Solomon Kane: | If I kill you, I am bound for hell. It is a price I shall gladly pay. |
| Solomon Kane: | There are many paths to redemption, not all of them peaceful. |
| Solomon Kane: | I was never more at home than I was at battle. |