‘The Brutalist’ Review: A Monument For Film History
Brady Corbet’s 215-minute long epic, The Brutalist, has been one of this year’s highest-praised films, and for good reason. Its daunting runtime flies by, instantly locking you in from frame one to the intermission, only to suck you back into its horrific portrayal of the “American Dream.”
This Review of ‘The Brutalist’ was made possible by a screening at the Music Box Theater during the 60th Chicago International Film Festival in October 2024.
The Brutalist follows Jewish-Hungarian Architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), who, after liberation from the Holocaust, hops aboard a ship to Ellis Island, New York, for a chance at a better life without religious persecution. It turns out that he is entering the belly of the beast that is America when a mysterious and wealthy client (Guy Pearce) commissions him to build a monument. Will it chew him up and spit him out? Or will he conquer adversity to create a building that truly lasts?
The Brutalist begins with Brody’s László on the boat from Hungary arriving in America, treating audiences to an upside-down shot of the Statue of Liberty as the Overture’s score roars, highlighting the growing promise and impending doom that lured in so many immigrants post-WWII. From the glorious Overture to the built-in 115-minute Intermission and ending with an Epilogue, Corbet and his crew have crafted a living and breathing depiction of the 1950s-60s America that we do not see anymore.
In another effort to make this film feel like it’s from the period, Corbet and cinematographer Lol Crawley decided it was paramount to shoot the film on 8-perf 35mm VistaVision, a long-dormant format Hitchcock used many times, with the last time it was used being in 1961. Shooting on this format made Corbet’s 70mm roadshow dreams come true, with the film running horizontally through the gauge instead of vertically, allowing for the film to be blown up to 70mm.
Being a film about architecture, The Brutalist makes its sequences of materials being formed and put together to build a structure. Corbet attacks these montages with such intensity that it doesn’t matter if I am watching Pennsylvanian steel being formed. I’m just as engaged as the sequences of Brody losing his mind on his construction crew as Pearce’s Harrison Lee Van Buren does plenty of shady business deals behind Tóth’s back to save the project some money. Harrison is, without a doubt, my favorite character from any 2024 film.
When we are first introduced to the mogul, he shouts at Tóth and his crew. Only twenty minutes later, when we see him next, he is utterly transfixed by the foreign architect upon discovering his origins. Harrison has twin children, Harry Lee (Joe Alwyn) and Maggie (Stacy Martin,) with both of them having varying personalities towards Tóth’s family, wife Erszébet (Felicity Jones) and traumatized niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy). Harry Lee takes a predatorial liking to Tóth’s niece and has hostility towards her uncle, causing even more drama between the two families, while Maggie is kind and compassionate towards her father’s partner. Harry tells László at the beginning of the second act, “We tolerate you.” This sends shivers down my spine as this line sets in motion the dark shadow the second act casts upon the first.
The Brutalist is a towering and monumental achievement in film. Its breakneck pace causes its 215-minute runtime to fly by with ease, completely immersing audiences in its audacious narrative and maximalist vs. minimalist style filmmaking, mimicking the architectural style the film is titled after. With its layered performances from acting veterans, Corbet and wife Mona Fastvold’s script is taken to new heights as we watch two men fight for their legacies. Quite possibly the best film of the 2020s so far.
The Brutalist was directed by Brady Corbet, written by Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold, starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, and Isaach de Bankolé.
The Brutalist was released in NYC/LA on December 20th, 2024, before expanding Nationwide in IMAX on January 24th, 2025. The film has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Director (Brady Corbet), and Best Picture.
Thank you for reading this review of The Brutalist. If you enjoyed this review, please consider checking out our reviews section.
