Brimstone

Might have been more effective if Koolhoven could have gotten out of his own way and told his story in a more straightforward fashion – presence of Pearce gives rise to unmistakable memories of MEMENTO, and it is a minor disappointment that his fully committed (and unsettling) portrait of ghoulish and grotesque evil becomes less and less interesting as the movie progresses, turning him into a single-minded sexual pervert, rather than the symbol of malevolence that he first presents as. Fanning is fine as always, with her largely mute role leaving her to depend on expressive eye work like never before; the feminist commentary that Koolhaven seems to want to point to never lands because he seems to take a little too much ritualistic delight in subjecting his female characters to the humiliation of the men. It makes it a tough watch at times.