A frontier woman turns fugitive when she is wrongly accused of a crime she didn’t commit and is hunted by a vengeful preacher.

Review

“Chanelle” (Hooliguest) – Brimstone paints a grim picture of the harsh realities faced by those that lived in America during the 19th century.  The story focuses on Liz (Dakota Fanning) who is haunted by a man from her past, a fanatical reverend (Guy Pearce) who repeatedly comes back to torment her like a recurring nightmare, bent on making her life hell on earth.

The story unfolds as a series of chapters, each revealing the events leading up to the previous chapter.  In experiencing the story this way, it feels like one is digging deeper and deeper into Liz’s past and the origin of the conflict between herself and the reverend.

Our heroine Liz is a true survivor.  At first she runs away from the wolf in sheep’s clothing, but eventually she faces her horrors in order to get retribution for all that was done to her.

 

The movie has an R rating, and rightfully so.  Things were rough back in the old western days, and this films shows things as they were.  The suspense builds up with each chapter and you start to sit on the edge of your seat every time that Liz or someone close to her is faced with a threatening situation.

Throughout the later part of her life, Liz has lost the ability to speak.  Dakota Fanning does a good job of showing emotion, communicating, and most importantly, showing the terrible fear that she has for the reverend, all without saying a single word.  Guy Pearce’s character on the other hand can speak, but he doesn’t even have to say a single word to show that evil is oozing out of him. 7/10

Let us know what you think about BRIMSTONE, and if you agree with Chanelle.