Ralph Fiennes's new film Coriolanus- with himself cast as Shakespeare's Roman warrior hero -is well worth going to see.
The setting of the story is updated to a theatre of war that strongly resembles the wars during the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia. When Coriolanus returns to his people-victorious from battle and a bit deranged-he tries to become a politician with disastrous results. He is completely scuppered by his political enemies, one of which is played stunningly by a very oily and cunning James Nesbitt.
It isn't long before Coriolanus decides he's got more in common with the warriors he's been fighting against than the deceitful, ungrateful milksops at home and he goes off to join the enemy.
The action of the story is interspersed with CNN/BBC news type coverage-part of which involves Jon Snow reading the news in Shakespearean verse.
Also unmissable is Vanessa Redgrave as Coriolanus's mother Volumia revelling in her son's war exploits and looking quite extraordinary in military uniform
I have seen Coriolanus on the stage and read it -I did enjoy it but I had forgotten almost everything about it -this will not be the case after seeing this film!
