Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Good start, but then it gets ruined

disgusting, overrated, pointless

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

RELEASED IN 2009 and written/directed by Michael J. Bassett, "Solomon Kane" is Bassett's version of Robert E. Howard's character (Howard was a pulp writer and the creator of Conan and Kull). Kane is a dour English Puritan with cold features shadowed by a slouch hat. Garbed in black, his weaponry consists of a rapier, a dagger and flintlock pistols; his wandering mission is simple: vanquish evil. James Purefoy plays the titular hero and Rachel Hurd-Wood the maiden he must rescue. Max von Sydow appears as his father. Alice Krige is also on hand.I'm a fan of Howard (and Conan) and have read a few of his Kane stories, but I'm not familiar enough with the character to know how far Bassett deviates from the source material, although Howard purists say it's too far (yeah, like Stone's version of Conan didn't deviate). Whatever the case, the hero in the movie looks and acts like Howard's Solomon Kane and the costuming and locations are exemplary; the cast is good as well. The tone is a mixture of historical grit and comic book cartoonish-ness, the latter mainly in regard to the sorcery elements and villains (Isabel Bassett, James Babson, Samuel Roukin, Jason Flemyng, etc.).This is a story of redemption as Kane, a murdering, lucre-loving privateer, is transformed after facing evil incarnate and taking a vow of peace. He ultimately becomes a Puritan avenger where the salvation of his soul is contingent upon rescuing a Puritan girl. While the plot is good, the mounting unbiblical gobbledygook is convoluted, eye-rolling and unnecessary.I thought I'd love this film and it IS great to look at and has a quality score. You can't beat the grim tone, the awe-inspiring locations and the excellent costuming and post-Medieval sets. Moreover Purefoy is perfect as the mysterious protagonist. Unfortunately, it's all for naught as the storytelling is unabsorbing and the characters are dull, except for maybe Kane. It's also listless and predictable. In other words, Bassett got everything right EXCEPT the script. What a shame and a waste. For comparison, imagine the 2011 version of "Conan the Barbarian," but a few notches LESS interesting and you'd have a good idea of "Solomon Kane." Still, it LOOKS awesome. THE MOVIE RUNS 104 minutes and was shot in the Czech Republic and England.GRADE: C-

As with all movies well worth watching, the so-called professional film critics will usually give it a poor rating and review. This is one such film.Based on Robert E Howards Solomon Kane character, in this film Solomon Kane walks the solitary road of Christian redemption in the act of saving an innocent girl from Hellish forces.Naturally, he will attempt this all alone against seemingly impossible odds; but he is in the right, and has Providence on his side.Adrenaline-pumping, heart-warming, tear-jerking -- this film is not to be taken lightly and cast aside as a 'B movie'. That is an injustice, simply speaking. It is also ironic as an unfair review, as Solomon Kane fights against all injustice.As a final word - this is the role James Purefoy was born to play...Enjoy.

While not a stunning movie, SOLOMON KANE is another serviceable entry in the sword-and-sorcery genre, and is based on a character created by Robert E. Howard, more famous for creating Conan the Barbarian. The plot is rather simple and works as a sort-of origin story. The opening scene establishes the character in a rather cool way, but the rest of the movie details his quest to find the purpose/meaning in his life. Having been a mercenary most of his life, he renounces that and vows to be a man of peace, so that his soul won't be damned to hell. On his journey, he meets a Puritan family, and when their daughter is kidnapped he promises to rescue her. The mechanics of the story suffice, although the pacing was a little bit too "stop-start" for my tastes. There could have been 10-15 minutes shaved off of the run time. Also, being what it is the movie is rather predictable and sometimes falls into cliché. However, where the movie excels is several well-filmed and brutally violent battle scenes. These were some of the best sword fights I've ever seen. There also wasn't too much CGI used, with the exception of two scenes: one at the beginning, and the other at the end. Particularly in the opening scene, the sub-par CGI kind of took me out of the movie. Still, despite the shortcomings, this was a solidly entertaining fantasy-action film.

This was a good one. It's worth seeing if your local video store has it. One of the attributes of the character is pretty much standard. A guy that has seen too much violence in his life and decides to make a break from it and take the path of righteousness. He's not a complex character. You'll not spend the entire film trying to figure out why he does what he does. Sibling rivalry does enter into the movie ( you'll just have to watch it). Some of the characters in the movie have the ," he's just a has been. Don't put your faith in him". While other characters in the movie have the ,"Solomon.We're all counting on you to deliver us from evil",opinion. You kinda feel bad for the guy. He makes an honest attempt at redemption,but it don't quite pan out. It also has the "save the damsel in distress" option added on here. Fairly typical,but like I said ," the mans trying to redeem himself".