BRIMSTONE is an edgy modern survival/revenge Western, set in a culture of strong liquor and religious fervour, where men's violent exploitation and abuse of women is standard behaviour. It's a story well worth telling and we see it as much from the villain's perspective as from the heroine's. There's some corniness going on here though and Mr. Koolhoven's direction veers towards exploitation during the most harrowing scenes - and that's not classy. In fact, there are gaping plot holes, an unnecessary non-linear timeline and the film is a bit too long. Despite all this, it looks good, there's plenty of well handled edge-of-the-seat tension and great performances all round. Guy Pearce is completely believable as The serpentine sado-paedo-psycho Preacherman. Worth a viewing - it stays with you. To see similar material dealt with in a far better film and from a deeper perspective, check out The Nightingale [2018, Dir. Jennifer Kent].
Review of Brimstone
