Brady Corbett’s “The Brutalist” begins with a knockout sequence.
Toth, an architect (Adrien Brody) who fled his country and arrived in America on a boat, steps out of the cruise ship and sees, at an unsettling angle, the Statue of Liberty.
The image also adorns the film’s poster. Corbett, who is said to have directed this epic historical drama for about $10 million, takes us into the story in a style that is as much literary as it is cinematic.
We know that Toth is coming to America in 1947 and starting his new life working in a furniture store. He’s waiting for the opportunity to bring his wife (a poignant Felicity Jones) to the United States. A chance meeting with the hot-tempered Van Buren (Guy Pearce) indicates that his entry into the United States has derailed his career.
In fact, this marks the beginning of the difficult journey ahead.
Much of “The Brutalist” feels like an E.L. Doctorow novel adapted from Bernardo Bertolucci (the early events reminded me as much of Bertolucci’s “1900” and “The Conformist” as of Doctorow’s “Ragtime” and “Billy Bathgate”).
The storytelling is confident and careful, and the characters are as interesting as the narrative. I was swept up in the narrative, even with an occasional quality to the structure, which comes with chapter titles. Honestly, I’m glad Corbett decided to make this a theatrical release and not spin it off into a TV mini-series.
The decision to film this in Vista Vision It alone makes it a big-screen event, the cinematography being as full of aesthetic beauty as it is clever angles for audience immersion (I love the stolen moment when we watch an intimate conversation through cigarette smoke).
Brody has always been a generous, hard-working actor, whether in films like this and “The Pianist” (2002) or when he’s overqualified to enhance popcorn movies like “The Jacket” (2005) and “Predators” (2010). He’s stunning in “The Brutalist,” giving Toth enough dimension and interior life to often make me forget I was watching the former star of “King Kong” (2005).
Pearce is also excellent, allowing the ambiguity and sense of uncertainty to never completely leave his complex characterization.
A runtime of three hours and twenty minutes will be a big deal for most people. I think the temptation is to either go all out or decide to wait for the inevitable and much less complicated first show.
Look, even if you have a big-screen TV with strong surround sound, don’t miss the opportunity to see this the way it’s meant to be seen. If there’s a good-sized theater near you or you’re among the lucky ones who have an IMAX theater in town, this is worth a visit.
Is the movie “The Brutal” as great as everyone claims? I enjoyed and admired Corbett’s film but I have a few caveats.
I love the decision to include a 15-minute intro and intermission (a great inclusion, handled well here, and both “Killers of the Flower Moon” and last year’s “Napoleon” would have benefited greatly).
However, even with the mid-film intermission, with a nice stopping point (even the on-screen image that remains during the 15-minute countdown is well-chosen), I found the second half of the film to be nowhere near as strong as the first half.
What’s wrong? It’s not that the film misses so much as that Corbett and co-screenwriter Mona Fastvold pile on the melodrama and theatrics, which they manage to avoid during the first hour and a half. By adding a lot of drama to the more complex character building and unpredictable narrative building, I found the final hour boring and predictable.
This isn’t to say that the film flops or derails, but the unhurried pace and long scenes are now filled with the big moments you might expect.
The final scene is cliche and unsatisfying, with a full-circle visual that doesn’t quite bring everything together. For the first 90 minutes, I was aware of the cinematic moments that Corbett has a penchant for, particularly the passionate encounters at train stations and the conversations that will inevitably lead to significant progress in the story.
Self-awareness of one’s affinity for classic cinema is not a bad thing; I was just tired of this when the climactic encounters were full of heated confrontations that seemed obvious and the product of screenwriting 101.
Again, to be clear, this doesn’t make “The Brutalist” a less important film – like PT Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” (2007), a brilliantly produced and equally well-received film, I’m tired of the whole thing. In the end, you still enjoy a lot of the movie.
Director Brady Corbett and stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones spoke with Observer about how A24’s film “The Brutalist” – an intimate love story and a historical saga – came together.
— Observer (@observer) December 20, 2024
If “Brutal” is a little overrated, that’s okay. Despite my issues with the last part of the film and my belief that it doesn’t end as strong as it should, I found most of it interesting.
A little item to bring up: Despite opening in limited release, and then in wide release, the film currently does not have an MPAA rating. There are some sex scenes and nudity that would easily get an R rating.
If you crave not only 1970s movies, but also ones that emulate the structure and cinematic experience of a feature-length story on the night of an event, don’t run to catch “The Brutalist.”
Full disclosure – despite my reservations, I plan to watch Corbett’s film again.
Three stars