Brimstone
Brimstone

Brimstone

2016Movie148 minEnglish

In the menacing inferno of the old North-American West, Liz is a genuine survivor who is hunted by a vengeful preacher for a crime she didn’t commit.

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Insights

IMDb6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes49%
Metacritic44/100
Google Users60%
Director: Martin KoolhovenGenres: Western, Drama, Thriller

Plot Summary

In a 19th-century American frontier town, a mute woman named Liz is targeted by a fanatical local preacher. Falsely accused of a crime, she must flee for her life and protect her family from his relentless pursuit. The film unfolds in four chapters, revealing the traumatic events from Liz's past that shaped her into the resilient survivor she is.

Critical Reception

Brimstone received mixed reviews from critics. While praised for its ambition, visual style, and strong performances, particularly from Dakota Fanning and Guy Pearce, many found its unrelenting violence and bleak tone to be excessive and gratuitous. The film's narrative structure and extreme content divided audiences and critics alike.

What Reviewers Say

  • Visually striking with compelling performances, but marred by excessive and gratuitous violence.
  • A bleak and punishing Western that struggles under the weight of its own grim narrative.
  • Ambition and scale are present, but the film's brutal content overshadows its thematic depth.

Google audience: Audiences were divided, with many appreciating the strong acting and unique storytelling but expressing concern over the film's graphic violence and dark themes. Some found it to be a powerful and impactful experience, while others felt it was too disturbing and unpleasant.

Fun Fact

Dakota Fanning learned to communicate solely through sign language for her role as the mute character Liz, practicing extensively with a linguistics expert.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

6 reviews
GenerationofSwine

GenerationofSwin...

Yeah, another Western, had to wait for the wife to not be home so I could dive into a genre she hates. Anyway, it's odd how sex and nudity seem out of place in westerns given that in real life prostitution thrived. Historically a lot of ...
Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Ne...

**A good Western, despite its weaknesses.** Many decades ago, Italian Western films were a huge success and guaranteed the careers of several actors, such as Clint Eastwood, and directors like Sergio Leone. This film, however, is neither...
AstroNoud

AstroNoud

An extremely grim and unsettling horror-Western with an interestingly structured plot, ‘Brimstone’ can be found either disgusting or superb; I'll go with the latter. 8/10
my_skeleton_fell_off

my_skeleton_fell...

A congregation dressed in black, hymns being sung flatly, an evil preacher, an abortion scene in the first 15 minutes... I should have known from the title that it wasn't the good western that the cover image conveyed. I could not make it...
Reno

Reno

**The trouble that had never let her alone.** A story about America, Hollywood cast, but produced and directed by outsiders. A powerful film. Kind of mix of 'No Country for Old Man' and 'Les Miserables'. The narration divided into four p...
Gimly

Gimly

"If you thought Guy Pearce was a scumbag in part 1 just wait 'til you see part 2! If you thought Guy Pearce was a scumbag in part 2 just wait 'til you see part 3! If you thought Guy Pearce was a scumbag in part 3 just wait 'til you see part...