--- title: "Coriolanus: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/coriolanus/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/coriolanus" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Coriolanus (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 18 reviews: 16 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like Coriolanus, and the praise settles in the same two places: Ralph Fiennes as director, in his first film, and Fiennes as the general himself. The reviews credit him with making Shakespeare’s language sound natural amid tanks and automatic weapons, and with setting the play in a Balkan-style war zone, with rolling-news inserts, without the update feeling like a stunt. Vanessa Redgrave’s Volumnia is singled out almost everywhere, with Brian Cox and Gerard Butler close behind, and the combat scenes are widely called shattering. The spread is narrow. No review is negative, and the two mixed notices still admire the acting. The reservations cluster around the handheld camerawork, which Slant Magazine finds a misstep and Time Out thinks falls short in the vérité action; The New Yorker finds the modern media touches forced, Variety struggles to follow the political manoeuvring, and Screen Daily notes second-act wordiness and an overlong finale. ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating A-. 19 January 2012. The critic commends the film as a brutal and bleak adaptation that uses a contemporary setting to accentuate Shakespeare's themes of politics, war, and class. It singles out Fiennes' intense performance as Coriolanus for capturing the character's emotional stuntedness and commitment to military honor. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/coriolanus-1798171204) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2011. Fiennes' ambitious directorial debut thrillingly updates the tragedy with operatic scale, gritty warfare, and standout performances from Redgrave, Cox, and others, making it memorable and prescient. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-dec-02-la-et-coriolanus-20111202-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2011. The critic calls Fiennes's directorial debut a triumph for reconfiguring the play as a study of modern warfare with news inserts. He singles out the film's clarity, intelligence, and shattering combat scenes along with careful narrative attention. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/feb/15/ralph-fiennes-coriolanus-film-review) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 81/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 2012. The critic finds Fiennes on firm footing with this political thriller and praises its assured direction and timely themes. She singles out the contemporary resonance in modern dress and Balkan-style war zones, along with strong performances from Redgrave and Butler. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/coriolanus-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Ray Bennett Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 February 2011. Festival review. The critic praises Fiennes' directorial debut for turning the Shakespeare play into a modern, bloody action picture with tanks and automatic weapons while keeping the original language natural. It highlights strong performances, especially by Fiennes, Redgrave, Cox, and Butler, calling it a tough, violent, and moving tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/coriolanus-99884/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2011. Fiennes delivers a thrilling performance as the title character in his directorial debut, bringing fierce intensity to the modernized Shakespearean tragedy set amid contemporary warfare and political intrigue. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/movies/ralph-fiennes-and-vanessa-redgrave-in-coriolanus-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 3/4. 28 November 2011. The critic finds the Paul Greengrass-style handheld camerawork a misstep that fails to enhance the material, but praises the fidelity to Shakespeare's prose and the central performances, especially Redgrave's titanic Volumnia and Fiennes' fiery intensity, along with the enduring themes of class and duty. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/coriolanus/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 January 2012. Fiennes' intense, gory adaptation captures the play's drive and desperation through strong performances, particularly Redgrave as Volumnia, though some modern media elements feel forced. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/23/loyalty-oaths) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2011. Festival review. Fiennes’s impressive debut vindicates the play as a complex character study full of contemporary relevance through its modern Balkan setting and news-channel framing, with strong casting and performances. The film has second-act wordiness and an overlong finale but remains a worthy, good-looking addition to Shakespeare adaptations. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/coriolanus/5023781.article) ## Sight and Sound — David Jays Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2012. Fiennes’s bold modern adaptation makes a strong fist of the material with intelligent choices and a documentary-style atmosphere, though the astringent play stays somewhat at arm’s length. The critic highlights the intense performances, especially Redgrave’s adamantine mother and the homoerotic tension in combat scenes. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/6770) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2011. Festival review. Fiennes' bloody directorial debut updates the tragedy effectively in action sequences with strong visuals and cast, though political intrigue can be hard to follow. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2011/film/markets-festivals/coriolanus-1117944611/) ## Time Out — Trevor Johnston Rating 3/5. 15 February 2011. This ferocious 21st-century update marks a committed directorial debut that keeps the themes relevant and witty despite the modernity; Fiennes attacks the role with vivid urgency while Redgrave and Cox deliver standout turns. The director falls short on some vérité action sequences but knows when to let the actors rip. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/coriolanus) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating B+. 1 December 2011. The critic calls it a remarkable directorial debut with standout performances from Fiennes, Redgrave, and others, plus effective use of film techniques for intimacy and visuals. It notes the challenging nature of the play itself, with performances and direction often outshining the material as a whole. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-the-ralph-fiennes-directed-coriolanus-is-as-well-acted-as-it-is-challenging-20111201/) ## Paste — Annlee Ellingson Rating 8.9. 30 November 2011. Ralph Fiennes makes a bold directorial debut with this contemporary adaptation that strikes a delicate balance between Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter and an ultra-modern plot and setting. The critic singles out the gritty, documentary-style battle scenes that juxtapose realistic handheld camerawork with erudite monologues for special praise. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/coriolanus) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 January 2012. Fiennes' impressive directorial debut modernizes the tragedy with ferocious intensity and thematic potency, delivering a compelling character study through strong performances and effective handheld camerawork that creates documentary-like immediacy. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a361063/coriolanus-review/) ## Eye for Film — Owen Van Spall Rating 3.5/5. 17 October 2011. The critic commends the strong performances, particularly Redgrave and Cox, the stripped-down script that keeps pacing tight, and the effective modern visuals and editing that make the themes accessible. The modern setting ultimately enhances rather than obscures the study of power and authority. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/coriolanus-film-review-by-owen-van-spall) ## HeyUGuys — Adam Lowes Rating 3.5/5. 17 January 2012. The critic praises the powerhouse performances, especially Fiennes and Redgrave, and the gritty cinematography that adds intimacy and urgency. It notes the film is watchable but unlikely to rank among the best Shakespeare adaptations. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/coriolanus-review/) ## The Skinny — Nicola Balkind Rating ★★★. 1 June 2012. Fiennes' ambitious directorial debut is a grim, gritty modern adaptation of the lesser-known Shakespeare play, using news-style inserts to draw contemporary parallels while delivering measured language amid austere visuals. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/coriolanus) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/coriolanus.md