The already distant year 2016 pleased the viewer with the film Brimstone, unusual in terms of staging. It combines the once popular western genre with thriller. The meaning of the film Brimstone about the violence that happened in the Wild West.
A film about a difficult choice, moral values. Sometimes you have to choose between the life of one and the death of another. In the days of the Wild West, a girl has to take birth from one woman. To save her life, a young woman takes the life of her newborn child. Even though she was in a desperate situation, the local minister of the church does not share her beliefs. He demands her location in exchange for his silence. The priest found out what the girl had done.
The film was shot with American actors, but with a Dutch director. It is interesting to know if he is as reverent about history as the directors of the United States, who idolize the dashing times of the Wild West. It’s their national history after all. However, perhaps a fresh look at those years is necessary. Directed by Martin Koolhoven. He comes from Holland, so he is indifferent to the times of cowboys and Indians. However, the director is reverent about the problem of the weaker sex in the days of the Wild West. In his version of that period of US history, women were discriminated against and abused.
The violence in the film is mainly associated with men. The times when women gained self-confidence, so as not to yield to the stronger sex in anything, have not yet come. There is a lot of gore in the movie Brimstone, at least in its first part. Men are wielding the famous Colts, cowboy whips, edged weapons. Wild times after all, which in this film work last more than two hours. The viewer is waiting for a cruel spectacle associated with numerous cases of bullying and perversion. You can feel the look of the Dutch director, who is indifferent and impartial about the history of the Wild West. There is also a lot of psychological violence associated with women in the film. Erotic rough scenes bordering on masochism are shown. There are scenes of massacre, executions. In a word, nothing embellished with the Wild West. Thus, dashing cowboy action scenes are combined with slower violence.
To the credit of the director, I must say that he does not focus on episodes of violence. He does not make the viewer a rough, savoring every detail of the violent scenes. The most difficult moments are shown briefly, sometimes only terrible moans are heard without a demonstration of horror. These are old tricks that directors used long before Koolhoven to keep their creations from falling to the toughest age ratings. However, people with a rich imagination may stop watching the movie during such scenes. After all, some have a rich imagination.
By the way, I must say that the Wild West was not filmed in the USA. In addition, it is known that Hollywood did not finance this project. The filming locations were countries such as Hungary, Austria, Germany, Spain. In a word, Europe, which provided funds for the film.
Films of this genre should teach something. This is not a simple action movie, but a drama. The moral that can be taken away from the work Brimstone is that violence should not be inflicted on the weaker sex. It is wrong when a man raises his hand to a defenseless creature. As old as the world. Probably, it is necessary to update sometimes the films that teach this. For the younger generation. In addition, the ancient expression is recalled: “What is the use of a man from the fact that he gains the whole world, but damages his soul.” Power doesn’t work for some people. People lose control of themselves by doing terrible things. This film shows the power of the stronger sex in the harsh world of the Wild West.
Basically, this role is played by a clergyman who blackmails a girl who killed a baby during childbirth. There are also representatives of the law, abusive husbands and other such characters. If there are positive characters among them, then negative features are still included in their images. In their defense, one can only say one thing: the world of the Wild West is too cruel, which means you need to become cruel yourself. That’s how everything was arranged. And far from the first film touches on a similar topic. Is it possible to preserve the human in oneself in such conditions? The viewer should answer this question after watching this film. Maybe it’s good that there are tapes that raise such topics.
The film also shows strong women who are unwilling to put up with the superiority of men in the world of the Wild West. Some of them want to leave the territory of their residence. others are looking for ways to counter existing orders. The main character tries to fight against injustice in the world around. However, there will be no happy ending. And yet there is a small ray of hope.
In conclusion, it must be said that Brimstone is annoying with a large number of violent scenes that follow one after another. But this movie dispelled the halo of romanticism that shone over the dashing times of the Wild West. The film turned out to be very difficult to watch, psychological, sometimes forcing you to stop watching. And yet, in order to once again be convinced of the senselessness of violence, this film is recommended for viewing.
