On Saturday, 20th Feb I was lucky enough to meet writer and director of Solomon Kane, Michael J Bassett and his leading man, James Purefoy, at Forbidden Planet whilst they were doing a signing before rushing off to a private showing of the new flick.
There was a good crowd waiting for quite a while in the cold and I was fourth in line. Spent some time chatting to two lovely girls from the War Society and it turns out that not only were they fans of movies in general, they were keen readers and big fans of Mr. Purefoy. Which is a winning combo!
The signing went swiftly, as there were quite a few people in attendance so none of us could stand around and talk as much as we would have liked but we got a sense of anxious excitement from both Mr. Purefoy and Mr. Bassett. They were sharing good banter with all their fans and it was a fantastic mood. I came away with quite a haul, including a signed canvas of the hero, Solomon Kane.
Sunday saw hubby and I hit the road to search for what appeared to be a very elusive film. Very few cinemas were showing Solomon Kane and, f they were, it was being shown late afternoon and evening. What’s with that?
We tracked down a showing at 11 am at Bluewater but luck was not on our side. Their systems were down so they weren’t selling any tickets to anyone to see any movie. Thanks for telling the queue of around 200 people waiting to buy tickets, staff at Bluewater cinemas!
We jumped in the car and I checked my handy Flixster iPhone App and was told that Purley Way, Croydon Vue was showing Solomon Kane.
We made terrific time and got there just after twelve... and got to see the twenty past twelve showing. Even if we had planned it, it couldn’t have worked out smoother.
Synopsis of Solomon Kane
Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A 17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a somber-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms. His adventures, published mostly in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, often take him from Europe to the jungles of Africa and back.
Once a mercenary of Queen Elizabeth I fighting Spainards in Africa, He met the Devil's Reaper and discovered he was bound for hell! Barely escaping, he soon renounced violence to atone for his past sins, seeking out redemption in a life of peace. That is until the followers of priest-turned-sorcerer Malachi kidnap a Purtian girl Meredith Crowthorn and brutally slaughter her family before his very own eyes (including butchering her beloved younger brother Edward who Solomon had befriended)! Forcing Solomon to take up arms and return to his violent ways once more to rescue her! Doing so means returning to his birthplace and facing his older brother Marcus who (in his youth) he accidentally left for dead, who now serves as merciless enforcer to Malachi.
And you know, I’m glad we went through all of this to see the flick. The movie is tremendously atmospherically shot and the camera loves the scarred-up Purefoy who plays Solomon Kane. The opening sequence is this huge set piece and it’s designed to wow the audience from the start.
As he fights his way through various opponents in order to take a lone castle in North Africa, Solomon Kane turns to look at his men at his back as they hesitate going into the treasure chamber, believing that it’s cursed and hollers at them: “I am the only devil here,” and then stalks off into the deep dark recess yawning in front of him. Now that’s an
alpha male, right there.
The trick to watching Solomon Kane is to remember the era the original material was written in and who wrote it. Then to sit back and enjoy the deliciously over the top action, sword fights and bald-headed villains, the insane plot twists and wild ride you get taken on. I’d personally love to comment here on the costuming in the movie. The clothing reflects the age and setting beautifully and I felt that I needed a cloak to swish in when I left the cinema.
I know some people may and indeed have commented on James Purefoy’s Somerset accent for Solomon in the movie – again, if you can get over it, and listen to what is being said, he reveals this intense internal struggle within himself to remain a man of peace, turning his back on the murderous thieving scoundrel he used to be, and wanting to be left in peace to live out his life in quiet contemplation.
Of course this is the last we want for Captain Kane. To be at peace, I mean. So when we come to the crisis point in the movie where he is forced out of his voluntarily passive role and he speaks this line:
If I kill you, I am bound for hell. It is a price I shall gladly pay.
I fist-punched the air (there were four other people there, they didn’t see me do it) and you knew the game was on.
Regardless of what others may say about his movie, I loved the characterisation. I liked Solomon Kane as a character and I wanted him to redeem himself.
I felt emotionally involved and sad that he had to betray his newfound peace to go to war against an enemy as vile as the sorcerer Malachai (who had too little screen time in my opinion!) but also thrilled.
It’s a good flick. It’s shot on a low budget but it doesn’t show. Michael J Bassett has done a good job giving us an original story here and although the movie works as a standalone, I suspect that we’ll see a sequel.
If I had to score it, out of five, I’d give it a very credible three and a half stars. It’s a fun, popcorn flick, that’s entertaining and action packed and I suspect that we’ll be seeing Mr. Michael J. Bassett hard at work on something pretty amazing very soon.