Solomon Kane (2009)

A ruthless mercenary renounces violence after learning his soul is bound for hell. When a young girl is kidnapped and her family slain by a sorcerer's murderous cult, he is forced to fight and seek his redemption slaying evil.

Director:

Michael J. Bassett

Writers:

Michael J. Bassett, Robert E. Howard (character)

Stars:

James Purefoy, Max von Sydow, Rachel Hurd-Wood

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Purefoy	...	Solomon Kane
Mark O'Neal	...	Kane's Soldier #1
Robert Orr	...	Kane's Soldier #2
Richard Ryan	...	Kane's Soldier #3
Frantisek Deak	...	Cowering Guard
Christian Dunckley Clark	...	Lieutenant Malthus (as Christian Michael Dunkley Clark)
Ian Whyte	...	Devil's Reaper
Thomas McEnchroe	...	Young Monk
Andrew Whitlaw	...	Older Monk
Robert Russell	...	Abbott
James Babson	...	Skinhead
Marek Vasut	...	Tattoo
Geoff Bell	...	Beard
Max von Sydow	...	Josiah Kane
Lucas Stone	...	Young Solomon

Storyline

Once a mercenary of Queen Elizabeth I fighting Spaniards in Africa, Solomon met the Devil's Reaper and discovered he was bound for hell. Barely escaping, he soon renounced violence to atone for his past sins, seeking out redemption in a life of peace. That is until the followers of sorcerer Malachi kidnap a Puritan girl, Meredith Crowthorn, and brutally slaughter her family before his very eyes, forcing Solomon to take up arms and return to his violent ways once more to rescue her.

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Plot Keywords:

devil | mercenary | violence | soul | puritan | 

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Taglines:

Fight evil... With evil.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

France Czech Republic UK

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

23 December 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Cazador de demonios

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£611,886 (UK) (19 February 2010)

Gross:

£1,134,564 (UK) (26 February 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Davis-Films, Czech Anglo Productions, Wandering Star Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The coat that Philip Winchester wears is the same one worn by Sean Connery in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Both films share the same costume designer - John Bloomfield.

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Goofs

In the scene where Solomon meet the thieves from the woods again, there is an statue of an angel kneeling with the sword on its left shoulder in the background. The next scene when Solomon is leaning against that statue, the sword is on the right shoulder.

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Quotes

Solomon Kane: There are many paths to redemption, not all of them peaceful.

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 8 February 2010 (2010)

User Reviews

The film Van Helsing should have been

Ever wonder what it would be like if Van Helsing didn't suck? To take that idea a bit further, ever wonder what it would be like if the films Van Helsing and Constantine were able to mate and its offspring was a film that was actually pretty awesome? In a nutshell, that's what you get with Solomon Kane. On the surface, Solomon Kane is very similar to Van Helsing. It has the same look and atmosphere of Van Helsing without all the monster hunting. In place of the monsters, we get demons. That's where the Constantine influence comes in. Solomon Kane's religious undertones, use of mirrors, and conclusion are all very reminiscent of Constantine.

Certain elements of the film may not be as absorbing as others. The CGI in the film seemed to fluctuate between being pretty good to below par. The crucifixion scene didn't really work either. Why Kane did what he did in that scene makes sense, but his actions and what he does immediately after that is pretty hard to swallow.

Solomon Kane isn't without its flaws, but is basically the gory, more adult, and definitive version of what Van Helsing should have been. With the amount of decapitated heads that are rolling around, every action scene littered with splattered blood, and its darker twists on religious views, Solomon Kane delivers a blood-soaked cinematic delight.