Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning Shine in Brutal and Boring Western ‘Brimstone’

Aryeh Harris-Shapiro

Foreign directors transitioning to English-language fare can sometimes have a tough time, especially if they go through the Hollywood system. Auteurs who stick to their guns, such as Lars von Trier or Bong Joon-Ho, tend to find success where those who allow themselves to be coopted often find only disappointment. “Brimstone,” directed by Martin Koolhoven, is one of those rare cases where the artist’s independence hurts the final product. Koolhoven has given his fascination with sadism full reign over “Brimstone,” a choice that dooms the well-cast, genre-bending Western from moment one.

“Brimstone” stars Dakota Fanning as Liz, a mute woman with a mysterious past who has found a measure of peace working as a midwife in a deeply religious community. When the new reverend, played by a glowering Guy Pearce appears to deliver his first morbid sermon, Liz reacts like she’s seen the devil himself. Over the course of four chapters, the film travels back through Liz’s life, revealing her relationship with the reverend and the horrors he’s visited upon her. In the present day, Fanning and Pearce engage in a battle of wills, with Liz’s very soul and survival at stake.

“Brimstone” is a superficially well-made film with a repulsive center. Koolhoven’s fixation on violence, specifically violence against women is repulsive and exhausting in equal measure. The film has little on its mind beyond subjecting Liz to punishment and the catharsis Koolhoven offers at the end can’t redeem the two hours of torture that preceded it. The revelations about the Reverend will make your skin crawl. Certain set pieces – namely a chastity belt-type device locked around Liz’s head – are undoubtedly effective, but to what end? For all the movie’s genre trappings and surprisingly impressive production value, this is essentially a drawn-out rape-revenge story, a spiritual descendent of the maligned “I Spit on Your Grave.” If indulging in an offensive genre isn’t enough, the film is deeply boring to boot.

That’s the true sin of “Brimstone.” Plenty of problematic movies find audiences, but there needs to be some reason to watch. “Brimstone” isn’t innovative like “I Spit on Your Grave.” Its violence isn’t as extreme or inventive as “Saw.” Koolhoven isn’t Gaspar Noe and his non-chronological storytelling isn’t nearly as spellbinding as the filmmaking in “Irreversible.” Fanning and Pearce are both predictably serviceable, but they’re both given one note to hit and there’s only so long that monotone characters can remain interesting. “Brimstone” runs two and a half hours – you would be forgiven for thinking it lasts twice that long if you watch without checking the time. Even “Game of Thrones” super-fans will be turned off by Kit Harington’s ridiculous Southern accent. Stay away from “Brimstone,” just watch “Bone Tomahawk” again instead.

“Brimstone” opens in limited release March 10.