A lot of superlatives have been thrown around when describing Brady Corbet’s newest film The Brutalist. But one word has come to define and surmise both the film and the experience of this movie. Monumental. This word has become so synonymous with the film that A24 cleverly uses it in its marketing campaign. Revealing the word monumental followed by a litany of publications that have seemingly used monumental to describe The Brutalist.

The Brutalist is in many ways a monumental film. It’s a three-and-a-half-hour American epic that hearkens back to the days when Francis Ford Coppola made great movies. It’s a period piece with fantastic performances that’s about art and artists. Monumental is a loaded word used to describe the film, but it doesn’t reveal the one thing most critics should reveal about the work they are critiquing. Is it any good?

The Enigma of Arrival

The Brutalist begins with this incredibly shot scene of Laszlo Toth, played by Adrian Brody, arriving in America. The camera is shaky and spinning as we follow Toth through his journey before finally emerging from the tunnels to see the Statue of Liberty. It’s a riveting scene with an incredible uplifting score playing behind that feels epic and yes, monumental in scope. The pomp and circumstance continue as the opening credits scrawl left to right on the bottom of the screen framed by sharp brutalist architecture lines. This is a film with a lot of big ideas and it’s not afraid to take itself seriously.

The Brutalist was shot in Vistavision and then transferred to 70mm. It’s just another one of the bold ideas on display in this film that has become the topic of discussion among film nerds like myself. Once we set off into the film proper and the story starts to take shape two things become evident. First, this is a true American epic film one that will probably talked about for years to come. And second, this is not a film that will resonate strongly with a massive audience.

Intermission

Most of The Brutalist feels like a movie made for movie people. It’s a three-plus hour film shot using a near-defunct technology that is very much about the intersection of work and art. Brady Corbet, the film’s director, has only fanned this flame with his press tour and award wins by touting the importance of final cut to anyone who would listen. A24 took a risk picking up this film, but honestly, no other studio would try and distribute The Brutalist without some edits. The film is long and in places very explicit. But much like Laszlo Toth, Corbet knew what he wanted and he was willing to fight for his vision.

This subtext is throughout the entire film as we see the film’s protagonist fights with budgets, peers, financiers, and even acts of God to ensure his building is created to his exact specifications. Guy Pierce gives a remarkable performance as the eccentric billionaire funding Toth’s building and he feels like a stand-in for every powerful business figure with more money than heart. Even if his actions, and name in the film, are a bit too on the nose.

The Hardcore of Beauty

The cast is rounded out by Felicity Jones as Laszlo’s wife and Raffey Cassidy as their teenage niece. The pair are able to immigrate to America thanks to the help of some powerful friends Laszlo has made during his time with Guy Pierces Harrison Van Buren. Both actresses play their parts well but they are certainly second fiddle to the drama between Laszlo, his work, and the people employing him. The characters feel almost like a physical manifestation of Laszlo’s desires. He wants something so bad. His wife in the States with him. And the only way he can get it is by playing ball with the powerful elite around him.

It’s only with Laszlo’s work though that we never see him compromise. He fights tooth and nail, giving up his own salary at one point to ensure this massive structure gets built to his exact specifications. Laszlo is willing to compromise his integrity, personal well-being, and even his health to get his wife, but he would never compromise his art.

The First Architecture Biennale

In the end that is truly what The Brutalist is about. It’s not subtle with its themes. They are in your face the entire time. During the epilogue one woman states “Don’t let literature fool you, it is about the destination, not the journey.” The Brutalist is a film about the final product of a film. Not the journey it takes to get a movie made. While all the hype, superlatives, and drama with production and distribution are interesting, Corbet is clearly only interested in his final product.

So yes, The Brutalist is monumental but is it any good? Yes, it is a very good film but only for people who love film. This huge giant epic will clearly appeal to those who appreciate Brody’s acting choices and Corbet’s set design, but it won’t have the mass appeal or enduring love as something like The Godfather. It’s just not that type of film. The Brutalist is a film about the intersection between art and work and the importance of being uncompromising. It’s a theme that won’t ring true to everyone but for a certain few, it will be the most important film of the decade.