The Brutalist

When the U.S. was first beginning while being immigrated from other countries, it was a great feat to say the least. Many were coming over to either escape WWII persecution or to leave what was left of their country to start anew in the new world. Some, it was a hardship while others were simply desperate. Suffice it to say, it was quite transitional for many for a great time span. 

When visionary architect Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) flee Europe to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of Modern America, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client. The seemingly charming industrialist Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce) offers Laszlo and his family the American Dream on a silver platter by commissioning him to design a grand modernist monument and help shape the landscape of the country he now calls home. It will be the most ambitious project of his career, one that will take Laszlo and Erzsebet to both monumental heights and devastating lows. 

Others to round out the cast are Joe Alwyn as Harry Lee, Harrison's son, Raffey Cassidy as Zsofia, Stacy Martin as Maggie Lee, Harrison's daughter, Isaach De Bankole as Gordon, Alessandro Nivola as Attila, Michael Epp as Jim Simpson, Ariane Labed as older Zsofia, Emma Laird as Audrey and Jonathan Hyde as Leslie Woodrow. 

This was intensely directed by Brady Corbet ("The Childhood of a Leader" '15, "Vox Lux" '18, "30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing" '19) plus TV, a short and a music video. I actually haven't heard of this filmmaker, and as I was watching this movie, I was amazed by the deep rooted pathos and how he was able to delineate these characters to represent the people these actors were playing. Certainly Brody, Jones and Pearce are all consummate actors and with this, made it easier for Corbet to guide these actors through this production. It was effectively well written by Brady Corbet ("Simon Killer" (story) '12, "The Sleepwalker" '14, "The Childhood of a Leader" '15, "Vox Lux" '18) plus TV and a short, and Mona Fastvold ("The Sleepwalker" '14, "The Childhood of a Leader" '15, "Vox Lux" '18, "The Mustang" '19) plus TV. These writers, by their very resumes, obviously comprise of them being a writing team, and although this aspect certainly can help a screenplay, two different issues of this movie come to mind. One, there were a few areas of disjointedness in this which made it a bit confusing in places, and two, there were a couple of places that were a bit slow and needed a pick-me-up. The first part of the film was intriguing and the last hour or so was captivating. but the middle either could've been cut about 15 minutes here and there, or it needed to be restructured. Mind you, the story was intriguing and certainly caught my attention considering the running time, but it needed a bit more polish. The acting and directing were amazing--Brody, Jones and Pearce are all up for Oscars as is Corbet for directing. Time will tell who wins. 

This was written as if it was based on a true story, however it was fiction. And this needs to be seen for the craft it is more than for the story necessarily. It's also well photographed, edited and with amazing production design--again all up for Oscars in their respective categories. The three and a half hour running time isn't too bad considering it does have an intermission, but it does move fairly quickly. Whew!

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                             Rated: R                                          224mins.