Last night I watched Gerard Butler dawn the famous Green & White Hoops of Glasgow Celtic FC in a Oxfam Charity match and 24 hours later I’m watching him again in this epic intense UK trailer for CORIOLANUS. The movie marks the directorial debut of none other than Lord Voldemort himself Ralph Fiennes in a ambitious attempt to modernise the William Shakespeare play of the same name and I definitely like what Im seeing here, it’s epic, intense, ironically some of the scene we see in the trailer reminiscent to the disturbing events happening in UK at the moment.
The cast is certainly tasty with Vanessa Redgrave playing the titular characters mother and already critics talking about a possible Oscar nod, she is also joined by Jessica Chastain, Brian Cox and James Nesbitt. Coriolanus tells the story of a war hero (played by Fiennes himself) returns to Rome but he despises people and his extreme view get him banished from his home city when a riot breaks out. To seek his revenge on the city he loves Coriolanus must bit his pride and teams with his enemy Aufidius (Gerard Butler).
Despite the massive rewrites to the script,numerous retakes the movie premièred at Berlin Festival earlier this year leaving with fantastic reviews making it a must see movie for 2012! The movie will next be seen at next months Toronto Film Festival with the movie arriving on British & Irish shores January 20th, 2012 with the American release December 2nd making this movie a certain candidate for The Oscars!
The people of Rome are hungry – they cannot afford to eat. Riots are widespread. Their vitriol turns on Caius Martius (later to be Coriolanus), Rome’s foremost general who despises the people.
 Simultaneously, Rome is at war with the Volsces, a neighbouring state which is lead by Caius Martius’s sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius. When Caius’s outstanding courage secures the Volscian city of Corioles for Rome and the Volscians are defeated, Caius is newly named Coriolanus in honor of his victory. The people’s anger subsides.
 His mother Volumnia, who has instilled in him a strict martial code of honor, anticipates Coriolanus being elected ‘Consul’ – a ruling position in the Roman senate. In order to be voted Consul, Coriolanus must secure the people’s support. However, the great warrior is loath to engage in the necessary glad-handing and political canvassing that he sees as artificial and contradictory of his personal code.
 Under pressure he relents but with the minimum of civility. The Tribunes, the elected representatives of the people, persuade the masses that they should renege on their votes and refuse Coriolanus the office of Consul. Coriolanus is enraged and his vocal aggression leads to a major riot after which he is banished from Rome.
 Alone now, he takes himself to the city of Antium, the Volscian capital, home to his enemy, Tullus Aufidius. Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius and offers either his life or his services against his parent city. Confronted by his greatest enemy, Tullus must decide whether to accept Coriolanus as his warrior in arms and seize the opportunity to defeat an Empire, or to destroy his life-long rival and try to take Rome alone, while in its most vulnerable state…
A big thanks to Lionsgate UK for sending us this trailer.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.