‘The Brutalist’ Is Technically Brilliant But Dramatically Distant Epic

‘The Brutalist’ Is Technically Brilliant But Dramatically Distant Epic

By Lynn Venhaus

A massive and ambitious drama, “The Brutalist” swings for the fences with big, bold visuals from a mid-century architect and an unwieldy dark narrative about struggles between art and commerce that spans 33 years over a 3 hour, 35-minute runtime.

To view it in one setting is a commitment, although theaters have a 15-minute intermission built in, showing the 215-minute film in two divided parts. It’s shot in Vista Vision, the first film using that process in many years.

While the film is technically brilliant, with stunning production design by Judy Becker and impressive stark cinematography by Lol Crawley to convey a giant scope of artistic vision and architectural grandeur, the script co-written by director Brady Corbet and his wife, Mona Fastvold, is a rocky road populated with thorny, complex characters.

This immigrant tale about László Tóth, a Jewish architect who crosses the Atlantic by boat from Hungary after World War II in 1947, gives the Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody a meaty role that he can dig into, exploring various facets. This is not a biography, although it seems as if this character is based on a real person.

Once in Pennsylvania, he struggles to find comparable work to what he did so well before, and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) comes later, also a Holocaust survivor. Their backstory is bare minimum, and their family dynamic is odd.  They appear independent at times, others as dependent and intertwined.

After being commissioned to build a library for his elitist father by his pompous son, Toth encounters a wealthy industrialist, Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Guy Pearce), who is a cold and callous businessman.

But Van Buren has sense enough to realize Toth’s talent. To strive for the American Dream, they need each other to accomplish their goals, and an uneasy partnership – of sorts – begins as Toth is hired by Van Buren for a structure in his mother’s honor, envisioning a modernist community center that will establish their legacy.

Neither man likes to compromise, and they each dream big, but Van Buren is a bully and has an off-putting way of humiliating Toth. The architect is also difficult to corral, stubborn in irritating ways, and it seems, teeters on going mad at times.

And then there is a doozy plot development that changes everything (and won’t be spoiled here). And a flat ending that seems tacked on after the film could have ended.

Neither of these deeply flawed, ethically challenged guys is all that likable, and the film has a weird chilliness and sterility to it. But it’s obvious both actors are giving their best efforts molding these distinctive men.

For clarity, brutalism is a style of architecture popular from the 1950s to the 1980s known for exposed concrete and brick that was designed with geometric, angular shapes and blocky forms. You’ve seen government buildings, parking garages and high-rises made in this style, and to me, ugly metropolitan slabs that are not visually appealing nor memorable.

Corbet, in his third feature after 2018’s “Vox Lux,” has a certain style, and those enamored by visionary auteurs will be enthralled. This film is a grand effort in establishing his singular vision. Yes, it’s artsy, but it’s also indulgent, and I feel parts are disjointed and often try too hard.

Corbet keeps viewers on their toes and when you think he’s headed in one direction, he veers a different way. Some of the most outrageous plot points don’t exactly fit a tidy narrative, and it spirals into several tangents that become increasingly head-scratching.

The strong supporting cast features two of Corbet’s actresses from Vox Lux, Raffey Cassidy as Toth’s niece Zsofia and Stacy Martin as Van Buren’s daughter Maggie Lee, as well as Joe Alwyn as her entitled creepy twin brother Harry Lee, and Isaach De Bankole as Toth’s friend Gordon, often a voice of reason.

Because of its audacious sweeping saga, punctuated by Daniel Blumberg’s haunting music score, few movies compare to “The Brutalist.” An awards magnet, it won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and recently, a Golden Globe for motion picture – drama, as well as many critics’ groups’ love.

Yet, upon reflection, it’s more showy style than substance, and lacks connection. Not sure what it’s trying to say, but it’s not easy to embrace, except for what it is – an aspirational work of art that is one of those films more admired than widely accepted. 

“The Brutalist” is a 2024 drama directed by Brady Corbet and starring Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones. Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Isaach De Bankole and Alessandro Novolo. It is rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, rape, drug use and some language, and its runtime is 3 hours, 35 minutes. It opened in local theatres Jan. 10. Lynn’s Grade: B.

Jordan Saves the Day in Forgettable ‘Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse’

Jordan Saves the Day in Forgettable ‘Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse’

By Alex McPherson

“Without Remorse,” roughly based on Tom Clancy’s 1993 novel, is a serviceable yet forgettable action film elevated by a committed performance from Michael B. Jordan.

We follow John Kelly (Jordan), a Navy SEAL chief who finds himself immersed in an international conspiracy with a gargantuan body count. After rescuing a CIA operative in Aleppo, Syria, and unexpectedly encountering Russian military forces, all hell breaks loose. Three months later, Russian FSB operatives brutally murder two SEAL team members who participated in the mission. They also execute Kelly’s wife, Pam (Lauren London), and unborn child. While Kelly is able to kill three of the operatives at his house, one escapes.

Mean-spirited CIA officer Ritter (Jamie Bell) and Defense Secretary Clay (Guy Pearce) want to brush the situation under the rug for fear of starting an international incident, but Kelly takes matters into his own hands. Thanks to the help of his superior officer, Lt. Commander Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith), Kelly gets the intel necessary to exact revenge without, well, much remorse or self preservation. After being arrested and branded a felon for his vengeful acts, he’s placed on a black ops team to eliminate those responsible once and for all. Copious bloodshed ensues, and Kelly eventually acquires the last name of “Clark.”

Worth watching if only for Jordan’s acting chops, “Without Remorse” ends up feeling predictable, dated, and shallow by the end credits — squandering an opportunity to give Kelly much depth, or present a storyline that isn’t swamped in clichés. That’s not to say there isn’t some entertainment value to be found here, however, as Jordan’s performance remains consistently engaging, and director Stefano Sollima knows how to stage punchy, visceral set pieces.

Indeed, even though “Without Remorse” fails to delve into Kelly’s psychology beyond the surface level, Jordan’s portrayal lends him a damaged, unhinged quality. Jordan convincingly sells the fact that Kelly has nothing left to lose and is ready to die for retribution over his family’s killing. He’s always a gripping presence onscreen, and we can infer deeper tensions from his body language alone, even if Taylor Sheridan’s script avoids any kind of real complexity in his character or the larger plot he’s embroiled in. 

Similarly, side characters, particularly Turner-Smith, turn in decent performances, but they end up feeling quite plain. There’s little to latch onto emotionally across the board, and “Without Remorse” fails to make any kind of meaningful social commentary. The plot twists are easy to foresee, ending with patriotic sentiments that caused me to roll my eyes.    

If only Sollima’s film had given us more time to grow attached to Pam before she’s unceremoniously riddled with bullets, or provided any unique spin on the “America vs. Russia” trope, then perhaps “Without Remorse” could have stood out from its military-obsessed competition. Alas, for all the film’s thematic failings, it still remains enjoyable, due to the slickly choreographed shoot-em-up sequences peppered throughout.

Jordan, ripped as ever, absolutely shines in these scenes. A brutal interrogation within a burning car, an underwater escape from a downed airplane, and a claustrophobic punch out in a jail cell stand out in particular. It’s too bad the final-act skirmishes feel repetitive and too video gamey to impress. They’re sometimes dimly lit and, reflective of other elements, feel generic.

As a precursor to more Tom Clancy films down the road, “Without Remorse” carries out its mission dutifully, but uncreatively. Jordan, holding the whole ordeal together with his jacked arms, deserves better. 

“Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse” is a 2021 action thriller directed by Stefano Sollima and starring Michael B. Jordan, Guy Pearce, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Colman Domingo and Lauren London. Rated R for violence, the movie runs 1 hr. 49 minutes. Streaming on Amazon Prime beginning April 30. Alex’s Rating: B-

‘The Last Vermeer’ Offers Art, History Lesson with a Robust Guy Pearce

‘The Last Vermeer’ Offers Art, History Lesson with a Robust Guy Pearce

By Lynn Venhaus

War criminal or war hero? Man of mystery artist and art dealer Han van Meegeren became a man of infamy after World War II. But his true story has been mostly forgotten until “The Last Vermeer,” which recounts this notorious case in a melodramatic and twisty narrative.

The time is 1945 and the place is Holland. The found painting is “Christ and the Adulteress” by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer of the 17th century baroque period.

van Meegeren (Guy Pearce) is suspected of selling stolen Dutch art treasures to Hermann Goering and other upper echelon Nazis during World War II. Now that the war is over, Joseph Piller (Claes Bang), a Dutch Jew, becomes an investigator assigned to identify and redistribute the paintings. Van Meegeren is accused of collaboration, which is a crime punishable by death. Piller and his assistant (Vicky Krieps) are convinced he’s innocent – despite mounting evidence – and will fight to save his life.


The procedural screenplay, written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, is based on an adaptation of Jonathan Lopez’s, “The Man Who Made Vermeers,” and gets considerable mileage from Guy Pearce as the flamboyant van Meegeren.

The role gives theb Australian actor plenty of scenery to chew, for the art dealer was a smooth operator. After the Germans occupied the Netherlands, he threw lavish parties and showed no signs of a moral compass.

Pearce, who disappears into every role he’s in, from “L.A. Confidential” and “Memento” to “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and “Iron Man 3,” digs in and is quite saucy about the secrets he’s hiding.  

All that hedonism rubs stoic soldier Joseph Piller the wrong way, although he’s not above resorting to shenanigans to keep the government stooges out of his way. As colorful as van Meegeren is, Piller is lacking in flavor. Bang, so good in “The Square” and “The Burnt Orange Heresy,” both movies dealing with art, is rather dull and stiff here.

The women characters are underserved and the supporting cast plays standard characters all in service to the story, which leads us to a climactic court scene full of fireworks. Van Meegeren’s argument is that he defrauded the Nazis, no collaboration.

The movie’s a tad clumsy under the first-time direction by Dan Friedkin but redeems itself in the final third.

With “The Last Vermeer,” there seems to be an endless stream of World War II characters whose story is enough to build a film around, like “Resistance” earlier this year.

The film’s courtroom drama outshines its thriller elements. It serves a purpose as both a history lesson and an art tutorial.

“The Last Vermeer” is a drama, directed by Dan Friedkin and stars Guy Pearce, Claes Bang and Vicky Krieps.
Rated R for some language, violence and nudity, the run-time is 1 hr. 58 minutes. Lynn’s Grade:: B-. The film opened in theatres on Nov. 20,