“He’s doing that voice so it looks like Pirates of The Caribbean.” Wise words indeed from my US-born wife who sadly missed the unique experience that growing up in the West Country entails. It’s worth pointing out that other helpful advice emanating from this camp included “This is such a Conan rip-off!”
Mixed genealogy aside, Solomon Kane is a bloody ridiculous dollop of Sword & Sort-Of Sorcery that delves deep into the black heart of 15th century Britain with some surprisingly good results.
Director Michael J. Bassett has obviously been rewatching the Lord of the Rings trilogy before embarking on filming, but his intensity pays off in his favour, the comparatively tiny budget threading the film with a Hammer Horror sensibility that adds a delicious sense of delirium to proceedings.
The various jobbing thesps put in some great (devilled) hammy performances that stay just the right side of stupid, special nods go to Pete Postlethwaite and Max Von Sydow’s perfectly cast support, providing enough shouty, actorly weight to stop things getting out of hand, but there can be no doubt that this is James (High Rise) Purefoy’s show.
His native Somerset tones add a touch of silliness to some of the overly-ripe dialogue, but no more than Arnie’s did for Robert E.Howard’s other, more famous creation 25 years ago. Purefoy is just so fantastically intense here, grimacing and gurning his way through scenes as though his life depends on it, and showing some super sharp action hero moves that should guarantee him a step-up in the blockbuster stakes.
Plotwise it’s typically thin but workable stuff. Kane is a bad dude, so bad in fact that Hell’s own demons pop up early on to tell him that he’s soon to join the choir infernal. One quick conversion to Puritanism later and Solomon is working hard to redeem himself, when – wouldn’t you know it – up pops an eeeeevil sorcerer and steals a local girl, forcing Kane to unleash his Ass-Kicking talents. Essentially, this is Unforgiven with no subtext and a ton of added explosions, demons and screechy scenes from – one of the few sour notes – a mis-cast Jason Flemying.
One of the distinct features of all Howard’s magical landscapes was the lack of grandeur, so don’t come to this expecting duelling wizards, instead Solomon Kane keeps it’s sorcery on the hush-hush – at least until the final histrionic showdown – coming across closer to Highlander by way of Witchfinder General rather than The Hobbit, and it’s all played so fantastically straight-faced that it dares you not to revel in the action and immerse yourself in the ridiculous world.
A dark, brooding piece of low fantasy that ticks all the right boxes for fans of brutal action who are looking to forget the terrible likes of Dungeon Quest. Fast, fun and black as pitch. 4/5
For more spine-chilling films to watch at Halloween, check out classic werewolf horror The Howling.
