Solomon Kane

Based on the stories of Robert E. Howard, Solomon Kane follows the title character (James Purefoy), a feared medieval warrior, as he renounces his violent ways after surviving a vicious encounter with one of Satan’s reapers. After he’s thrown out of a monastery, Solomon hits the road in search of peace and forgiveness – yet there inevitably reaches a point at which the beleaguered fighter is forced to once again pick up arms and fight. Filmmaker Michael J. Bassett has infused Solomon Kane with an epic, unexpectedly lush visual sensibility that instantly draws the viewer into the proceedings, with the fantastic pre-credits sequence, in which Kane and his men encounter that aforementioned reaper, effectively establishing an atmosphere of tongue-in-cheek fun that’s perpetuated for the duration of the movie’s running time. It’s worth noting that the movie succeeds even in its quieter moments, as Bassett offers up a surprisingly compelling midsection revolving around Kane’s tentative friendship with a family of travelers. And although the writer/director has elicited fine work from a talented supporting cast that includes Pete Postlethwaite, Alice Krige, and Rachel Hurd-Wood, there’s little doubt that Solomon Kane benefits substantially from Purefoy’s compelling, thoroughly charismatic turn as the title character (ie he effortlessly transforms Kane into an almost iconic big-screen hero). The film’s only real misstep lies in its less-than-stellar third act, which is ultimately exacerbated by an almost egregiously frenetic finale that simply feels anticlimactic and needlessly over-the-top – yet this isn’t quite enough to diminish what is otherwise an exciting initial entry in what could (and should) be an ongoing series.

*** out of ****