Solomon Kane
Metascore
48 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15
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  1. The Playlist
    Reviewed by: Mark Zhuravsy
    Sep 27, 2012
    75
    It's not everyone cup of bloody tea, but an unapologetic genre treat for those willing to dive in.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    Sep 27, 2012
    70
    Solomon Kane succeeds by embracing its identity as a straightforward genre exercise, complete with bone-crunching and blood-spurting action. By not aiming for more, it hits its target.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    Sep 27, 2012
    60
    Mr. Basset is too enamored of the usual action film clichés, down to some Hollywood-gangsta gun play. But he has a graphic visual style that suits the simplistic material and he keeps you watching even as the wet, sucking sounds of skewered flesh grow tedious.
  4. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    Sep 27, 2012
    60
    Clearly set up to be the first film in a franchise. It's not a bad movie, but I wouldn't hold my breath for that.
  5. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    Sep 25, 2012
    60
    It is, for a contemporary CGI-fraught fantasy-slash-living-video-game, not at all bad, dotted with moments of Bosch and steady on its storytelling feet.
  6. Empire
    Reviewed by: David Hughes
    Sep 24, 2012
    60
    If weapons and wizardry get your blood up, and you prefer your movies dark and brooding and minus the sandals, Solomon Kane fits the bill. It may lack The Lord Of The Rings' majesty, but Robert E. Howard fans will lap it up.
  7. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Phelim O\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
    Sep 24, 2012
    60
    There's plenty that's good here: a serious tone, steady ­pacing, muddy and bloody scenery and a convincing turn by Purefoy in his own west country accent. But Kane is an ill fit into the ­origins tale template; it's a story with few ­surprises.
  8. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Crocker
    Sep 24, 2012
    60
    A brutal fusion of angst and action, this mini-epic gives the sword-and-sorcery genre a bleak, brusque new life. Watch it for some terrific limbchopping and a mighty turn by James Purefoy.
  9. NPR
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    Sep 28, 2012
    50
    There are no laughs in Solomon Kane; the sole attempt at a joke doesn't score, but it's a bracing reminder that humor exists. Instead, Bassett and Purefoy, his charisma-impaired star, get down to the grim, colorless business of vanquishing evil in a world where it settles like a black fog.
  10. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    Sep 26, 2012
    50
    It's taken a while for Kane to make it to the big screen, maybe because fantasy barbarians and long-ago kings have more immediate appeal than pious, slouch-hat-wearing men with poor senses of humor, but Solomon Kane gives it a go anyway. The results suggest a compelling movie could be made from the material, even if it isn't this one.
  11. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    Sep 25, 2012
    40
    In our chatty "Game of Thrones" moment, you'll thirst for a sidekick: a sly dwarf, a wisecracking female warrior, a huggable wolf, anything. Solomon Kane has none of these, and even heavyweight speechifiers like Max von Sydow and the late Pete Postlethwaite (that's how old the film is) have little to gnaw on.
  12. Variety
    Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    Sep 24, 2012
    40
    This muscular yet monotonous "Kane" just isn't much fun.
  13. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    Sep 28, 2012
    38
    Michael J. Bassett's Solomon Kane is been there, done that.
  14. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Calum Marsh
    Sep 27, 2012
    38
    The fight choreography has a gracefulness bordering on elegance, and so it's a shame that these standalone thrills aren't better integrated into the film as a fully formed narrative whole.
  15. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Mark Feeney
    Sep 27, 2012
    25
    It's always raining or snowing or misting. This makes for a nice visual, but it also makes the scenes look interchangeable. This is even more of a problem because the writer-director, Michael J. Bassett, imparts no shape to the story. Many movies suffer from worse problems, but not many waste the talents of Max von Sydow, as Solomon's father, or Pete Postlethwaite.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. DJohnson
    10
    I am a big fan of the comics, like my dad, and this is the best, most faithful, accurate adaption we could have asked for, who would have known james purefoy could play the legendary anti-hero so well, especially after his APPALLING work on resident evil, all of the cast works well, the action is epic and old-fashioned in a great way, of course, whoever made this is a wonderful person and i hope they maintain this level of devotion in their other films :)… Full Review »
  2. StevenF
    8
    James Purefoy puts in an emotional and commanding performance as pulp magazine hero Solomon Kane, the privateer who soon pays the price from the devil and lives a life of redemption.
    The plot in this film acts as an origin story for the character, as we begin with a very merciless and egotistical Kane bombarding his way into a fortress of treasure, only to be driven out by "The Devils Reaper", damning his soul to the devil.
    As Solomon flees back to England, he now attempts to live a life of piece, adorning his body in various religious symbols to protect himself from the devil.
    As he is again driven out to embark o another journey, he happens across the Crowthorns, a family on their way to The New World.
    But tragedy strikes along the way and Solomon must renounce his promise of a peaceful life and once again become a warrior, to search for Meredith Crowthorn (Rachel Hurd-Wood) who has been taken by the evil sorcerer, Malachi.
    The film is a mini-epic in every way, combining visually stunning fight scenes and a very enthralling story that is well written and solidly directed. It takes many visual cues from the likes of Lord of the Rings and succeeds, attempting to put a riveting story and beautiful scenes side by side, and most of the time succeeding. It certainly takes advantage of the beautiful scenery and snow covered tops to bringing a big-budget feel to it.
    James Purefoy is well placed as our anti-hero, his charm yet unrelenting charisma rings true to the original creation. Mackenzie Crook also makes an appearance as a shady priest, and the late Pete Postlethwaite puts in a dignified and friendly performance as William Crowthorne. The only the gripe I have is perhaps the finale of the story, which seemed almost to chid-friendly, compared to the excellent and typically sombre tone at the beginning, similar in moments to Defiance. The ending wasn't necessarily a letdown, but it all came across cartoony and seemed a bit cliche and perhaps too rushed.
    But apart from that, the film is a raging success, and deserves much more credit that it has, lets hope the planned sequels do indeed go ahead.    … Full Review »
  3. mickeyboy
    9
    solomon kane is an almost perfect medieval hack 'n slash action flick with a decent cast, solid direction, and an awesome screenplay, which, unfortunately, doesn't entirely make the transition from paper to celluloid, but that's only a knitpick...… Full Review »
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