The Brutalist Review – Perfection, Excellent Story Driven Performances, A Must See

Details

Category: Film

Published on Wednesday, 29 January 2025 13:05

Written by Janet Walker

The Brutalist, from A24, presents an epic saga of one man's journey from war torn Europe to the United States, and the hope of rebuilding his career as he confronts lies, deception, prejudice, and suffers irreparable injury.

The film opens with a young woman being verbally battered, by we presume to be Nazi soldiers, as she is forced to explain her heritage, where she is from, who are her companions. And we understand, should she fail, she will be killed.

The Apprentice Review – A Masterpiece, Brilliant Performances, Wild

The scene then fades, and we see the Statue of Liberty. We arrive at Ellis Island and the camera zooms in on Adrian Brody who plays Laszlo Toth, an accomplish Brutalist architect, and a Hungarian Jew, forced to flee Europe during the Nazi occupation. He arrives in New York, and as he is meeting a cousin in Pennsylvania, he is given a few dollars to keep him until he arrives at his destination.

The next day he arrives in a small town near Philadelphia and his cousin, Attila, played by Alessandro Nivola, meets him at the bus station, and tells him his wife, Erzebet Toth, played by Felicity Jones, is alive, and he can write to her now. They go back to his furniture store and Laszlo meets Attila's wife, Audrey, played by Emma Laird. For a short time, they are both welcoming and for a brief time Laszlo is able to regroup, breathe, and think.

One day, a former client, Harry Lee, played by Joe Alwyn, comes into the store and wants to commission Attila to redo his father's library. As Laszlo walks into the room, he envisions a magnificent design, modern, and beautiful. As Harry explains, the room must be completed on short notice and for a pauper's budget, Laszlo doubles the fee, and they agree.

Autumn and the Black Jaguar Review – Charming, A Feel-Good Family Friendly Film

As they are men of their word, Laszlo and Attila create a stunning addition to the estate. Just as they were putting the books back on the shelves, Harrison Lee Van Buren, portrayed masterfully by Guy Pearce, walks into the home screaming. As the men attempt to explain, he overrides their explanations and demand they leave.

Not long after Laszlo and Attila have a falling out and he accuses Laszlo of making a pass at his wife, and Harry Lee refuses to pay. So, Laszlo moves into a homeless shelter. We find out also he is an Opium user and explains that he was given the drug for his injury on the boat over.

One day while he is shoveling coal with Gordon, played by Isaach De Bankole, someone he befriends in a soup line. Mr. Van Buren arrives. We know the year is 1947, as he places a Look Magazine, with a picture of Princess Elizabeth and her marriage to Prince Philip on the cover, in front of Laszlo, and shows him an interview the magazine did on him and his magnificent modern library. He is so enamored with the press, and publicity the library received that he wants to know more about Laszlo. He first pays him for the work and then invites him to dinner.

Green Border Review – Riveting, Compelling, An Unflinching Migrant Crisis Story

Each act of The Brutalist is 110 minutes, so when the second act arrives the audience is invested in the story. We are cautiously hopeful that Mr. Van Buren is sincere not only in his efforts to introduce Laszlo to the influential leaders of business and industry, but more importantly he introduces him to his legal counsel who is willing to help him bring his wife and niece to America. Suddenly, it is as if providence or fate, destiny, kismet had arrived. Mr. Van Buren announces in front of his most honored guests that Laszlo Toth will be in charge of creating a monument for his late wife and they provide him with a guest house to live in.  

For many it will seem typical, the wealthy poaching the talent of the vulnerable for a pittance. And still, our caution is slowly erased, and we see Laszlo unable to control his Opium habit, although he appears to be a functional addict, when he is not sedated, he is rash and prone to outbursts.

The story throughout is engaging. The 310-minute film (3 hours, 20 minutes) is a masterpiece and expertly presented.  The revelation scene, which comes near the end, is not only surprising, as is the lead in it, the reactions force the mind to see beyond the screen portrayal to the possibility of the hidden secret.

The Fire Inside Review – Inspirational, Triumphant, Excellent Story Driven Performances

The ensemble cast delivers excellent and surprising performances. In a film of this length, each of the characters have these heightened moments in their performances. Adrian Brody, who personifies Laszlo Toth, master's each nuance of a person who is experiencing these times. Guy Pearce who embodies Mr. Van Buren, and is the epitome of upper echelon, white, Christian, an industrialist, refined, cultured, known for his philanthropy and good deeds, he has the perfect exterior, a shine so bright no one would ever suspect there is a hidden, dark secret. And we don't even think suspect.

Watching the climatic eruption between Joe Alwyn and Felicity Jones, and the violent outburst, leads audiences to see beyond the images, into an unspoken and unpresented truth. Although, we can only judge what is visualized, it is an ending that is convincing. The hidden shame fuels Joe Alwyn character into a blinding rage, and the determination to expose atrocities compels Felicity Jones' character to challenge and confront the man hiding his life. 

The Brutalist, the winner of three Golden Globes, including Best Picture and Best Director for Brady Corbet, and Best Performance for Adrian Brody, is also nominated for ten Academy Awards, nine BAFTA Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award for director Brady Corbet. It is a must see.

Anora Review – Bold, Daring, Strong Courageous Performances

Country: U.S.

Language: English, Hebrew with English subtitles.

Runtime: 310 minutes (3 hours and 20 minutes).

Director. Brady Corbet.

Producer: Nick Gordon, D.J. Gugenheim, Andrew Lauren, Trevor Matthews, Andrew Morrison, Brian Young.

Executive Producer: Ron Curtis, Mona Fastvold Mark Gillespie, Jiarui Guo, Aaron Himmel, David Hinojosa, Joshua Horsfield, Pamela Koffler, Max Kondziolka, Scott Lake, Mark Lampert, Sarah Meyohas, Oleg Nodelman, Michael Orcutt, Jesse Ozeri, Kelly Peck, Thomas Pierce, Sire Ramos, Emily Richardson, Ronald Richardson, Matthew Sippel, Klaudia Smieja, Carter Stanton, Kyle Stroud, Christine Vachon, Ruby Ealden, Scott Weber.

Writer: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold.

Cast: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffy Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Isaach De Bankole, Alessandro Nivola, Ariane Labed, Michael Epp, Emma Laird, Jonathan Hyde, Peter Polycarpou, Maria Sand, Salvatore Dancome, Zephan Hanson Amissah.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.