Review: The Beguiled

I have only seen two previous films from Sofia Coppola, and they're quite polarizing. While I really liked her most critically acclaimed film in Lost In Translation, The Bling Ring was a bit disappointing, despite having an intriguing concept.

The trailers for this definitely had me interested. I also never knew that this could be seen as a re-make, as there was a version from 1971 with Clint Eastwood. I would normally plan on seeing the original in the build-up. But due to a busy schedule at this moment in time, I was going in cold.

While I liked most of it, I still had that feeling of disappointing whilst leaving the screening. The pacing is slow throughout, and I did not mind that. I am always up for a slow-burner. But I think what got me into that feeling of disappointment, was the final act just being pretty ordinary.

The imagery and cinematography is probably its strongest suit. It is gorgeous to look at, they really make the most of the location and the colour palette is wonderfully bleak. It almost felt like a David Fincher picture.

Everyone did a good job in their performance. But I didn't feel any stand-outs. I always like Colin Farrell. His presence always seems to keep me interested, and this was no different. Nicole Kidman was perfectly fine. Unlike Farrell, Kidman never really gets me captivated. However, I've never seen her do a bad performance. She just seems to be in that void of someone who is a big name, but never seems to give a remarkable performance in my eyes.
Kirsten Dunst was better then I expected. It is not the type of film you would normally see her in. But she managed to fit in well. Elle Fanning was really good and continues to show how great of a talent she is.
The only other performances worth mentioning are Oona Laurence and Angourie Rice. I was really happy to see them be part of this. After seeing them in Southpaw and The Nice Guys respectively, it is great to see them be part of another major studio project.

So while I was disappointed, there is still some good stuff in there to make this a decent watch on the whole. It looks great both in its imagery and in its costumes, that may be in contention for major awards nominations. The performances just about keep the film moving along. But I think the lack of memorable pay-off will make this rather forgettable.
There was enough good stuff in here to give a pass. But don't expect this to be heard from again.

Rating: 7/10