Although it has lashings of antebellum atmosphere, Sofia Coppola's remake of the 1971 Don Siegel/Clint Eastwood American civil war drama lacks the malicious bite it needs.
The Beguiled is better directed than it is written... In its study of interpersonal rivalry and sexual tension, the film doesn't say anything that wasn't better articulated in Don Siegel's 1971 adaptation.
The film points the triumph of delatation and extermination over Christian mercy, as well as the victory of dark eroticism over compassion and sentiment. [Full review in Spanish]
Fanning, Dunst and the on-a-roll Kidman all seem ready to dive in, but "The Beguiled" stops them short. There's plenty of cunning boiling beneath the surface, but Coppola keeps a tight lid on it.
The actors pitch their roles perfectly: Kidman's breathy calm; Farrell's charm, just hinting at something dark within it; Fanning's way of prettily arranging herself, showing off Alice's newfound power; Dunst's quiet melancholy.
The cast is physically attractive and the photograph is quiet and elegant, almost contrary to the tensions presented by its characters. [Full review in Spanish]
The general view seems to be that civilization might survive and even flourish if men weren't around to wreck it with their making of love and war, but where's the fun in that?
