The Brutalist
★★★★
There’s no denying The Brutalist is a big swing. Clocking in at nearly four hours, it’s a film that practically dares you to look away—but I couldn’t. I went in knowing reactions were all over the place—some hailing it as a masterpiece, others calling it a slog. For me, it lands somewhere in the upper middle.
From a story perspective, I found it far more compelling than I expected. It’s a slow-burn tale of ambition, immigration and creative ownership, all wrapped in one of the most visually stunning packages I’ve seen this year. I’ll be thinking about those early scenes of Adrien Brody’s Lazlo arriving in America for a long time—Brady Corbet knows how to compose a frame.
What really kept me hooked was the film’s exploration of authorship and artistry: What makes someone truly great in a field like architecture? Is it the vision, the execution or the money behind it? That tug-of-war between creator and patron felt like the real heart of the story, and I appreciated how Corbet tackled that head-on (and maybe even got a little meta about his own experience in the film industry while doing it).
That said, the ending felt strangely abrupt given the film’s sprawling nature. After so much buildup, some major events are tied up quickly—almost too quickly—and I was left wanting a bit more of an emotional or narrative punch.
The performances were strong if not quite transcendent. Brody is fully committed and was born for this role. I was a bit iffy on the supporting performances. Guy Pearce is in full cartoon villain mode, and Felicity Jones gives an intriguingly odd performance that was both fascinating and puzzling.
Still, this is an ambitious, artful work that deserves to be seen and discussed. I’m glad I watched it, and I’m even more glad that Brady Corbet is now firmly on my radar. I think The Brutalist is a very good, teetering on a great film. And in this era of risk-averse filmmaking, that’s something worth celebrating.
