Coriolanus ****

Bloody and violent, with staccato speeches rapid as machine gun fire, this "Coriolanus" is set in some present day generic Eastern European state where the politics of Rome overlay surprisingly well. Speeches about off-stage developments flow easily from news readers on flat screen televisions, and the plotting of spineless politicians knows no boundaries of time or age. Ralph Feinnes, who both directed and stars in this seldom seen tragedy of "Shakespeare's Rambo," establishes early on the war hero's devotion first to his craft - fighting and warfare - and secondly, if at all, to the people. It's a story of pride and revenge, and the destruction it wreaks on family and state. Feinnes is outstanding. Vanessa Redgrave reigns as his mother in the Spartan mold, Volumnia, and Jessica Chastain is luminous as his confused, devoted wife, Virgilia. Gerard Butler also gets a real role, and acquits himself well as Coriolanus' rival, Aufidius.