Solomon Kane

Writer Ron E Howard’s creation might not be as well known as Conan or Krull but he is just as memorable character being a Puritan demon hunter on a relentless quest to battle evil. In 2009 I became aware of its existence as a movie directed by Michael J Bassett.

However this film has bypassed cinemas down under and instead is being release on DVD and Blu ray. Being an impatient sole and as knowing it had been released in the UK I obtained the Blu ray edition from Amazon.

This film is essentially an origin tale, taking our Anti hero from his days as a blood thirsty killing machine armed with his trusty pistols and cutlass and rapier. We are introduced to him as played by James Purefoy in the midst of a far eastern battle storming a citadel. This introduction ends with him being confronted by the Devils Reaper who has come for his soul.

He escapes and abandons his blood thirsty ways for a more monastic lifestyle renouncing violence and devoting his life to peace. But when forced to leave the monastery to step once  more into the outside world you know events will lead him to once more take up his weapons and embrace his darker side but this time to battle the evil forces out to corrupt a world he has come to value. James Purefoy takes on this role with relish; his transformation to pacifist back to killing machine is believable. Much about this film reminds me of Brotherhood of the Wolf form the photography and tone so it is no surprise to discover that  many of the background crew came from that  film and that it shares the same producers.

For me the film works, but then I’m a sucker for a swords and horror though it plays more like a fantasy action film the nearest film comparison I could make would be to the old hammer horror film Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter but obviously with a bigger budget and more style. I did feel it needed a more clearly identifiable villain but for what it is and the fact that it introduces a lesser known character to the screen I enjoyed it. Tonally it matched the marvel comic’s rendition that was my introduction to the character. Special effects are top notch and the cast of great British character actors as supporting characters bring quality to the film. Special mention goes to the late great Pete Postlethwaite who played an important role in driving this tale forward.

Sadly I would have liked to have seen this on the big screen, but OZ and NZ join the US as countries denied this opportunity and thinking of some of the dross I have sat through last year I find that a little sad. Still out of this Michael J Bassett has got the task of bring Silent Hill 2 to the screen which I look forward too based his handling of this film.

I recommend this on blu ray, picture is superb and James Purefoy owns the screen sadly this might be the only installment in his adventures but this is down to lack of distributors rather than the quality of the film. Village Roadshow are releasing the film in both Australia and New Zealand and it should be out now.