Clocking in at a whopping 215 minutes and being filmed in VistaVision (a high-resolution format once used for classic films such as Vertigo (1958) and The Ten Commandments (1956)), it is not hard to understand why someone would be quick to label a period piece like Brady Corbet’s massive 2024 epic The Brutalist as pretentious. Just like his film’s protagonist however, Corbet swings for the fences with a hell of a slugger, displaying artistic beauty and power into every frame and not wasting a cent of his $9.6 million budget. The Brutalist is anything but pretentious.
L-R: Alessandro Nivola as Attila and Adrien Brody as László Tóth in THE BRUTALIST. Photo courtesy of A24.
Spanning decades, The Brutalist follows László Tóth (Adrien Brody in his Oscar-winning role), a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor and architect who tries his best to attain an ever-elusive reward — the American Dream. Even if it costs him his soul. Along his journey of ups and downs, László meets Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Guy Pearce), a man who strives for not only the American dream, but for perfection itself, influencing László’s life for better and for worse.
Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. in THE BRUTALIST. Photo courtesy of A24.
Proving that his second Oscar win was not a fluke or a throwaway, Brody’s (The Pianist; See How They Run) fantastic performance in the role of László is a one for the ages and is the immovable core of the film, giving The Brutalist its strength as an art piece. An artist like most, with ego, integrity, ambition, purpose, and soul, László is a perfect character for a story of hubris and self-destruction. Through his journey, the audience witnesses the slow disintegration of an artist’s soul as he chases success. As the decades pass and the years are worn well on his face, Brody delivers it all with a packed punch and bares his soul on the screen. It’s a great performance that cannot be denied and one with which this film hangs heavily on. Right behind Brody’s great performance is Felicity Jones’s (On the Basis of Sex; The Amazing Spider-Man 2) equally terrific performance as László’s wife Erzsébet.
L-R: Adrien Brody as László Tóth and Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth in THE BRUTALIST. Photo courtesy of A24.
Arriving in the second act, Erzsébet carries strength where László lacks; where he may be headstrong and arrogant, she is pragmatic and reasonable. Suffering from osteoporosis from war famine, László is Erzsébet’s physical rock where she is his emotional rock. Jones’s chemistry with Brody is illuminating and the two make a great pair when on screen. Rounding out the main triangle is Guy Pearce’s (Memento; Lockout) loud and deceptively charming performance as the snobby and wealthy Van Buren Sr.. As Brody and Jones carry the emotional soul of the film, Pearce doesn’t miss a chance to chew up any of his scenes. His apt over-the-top performance is par the course for the larger-than-life character he portrays. Complementing László while also being condescending of him and his family, Van Buren Sr. is a perfect villain for a period piece about ambition. He’s the devil that makes the offer to László’s Faust. There are also some strong contenders in the film’s supporting cast — Joe Alwyn (Kinds of Kindness) is compelling as Van Buren Sr.’s pompous son Harry; Isaach De Bankolé (Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) delivers great understated work as László’s longtime friend Gordon; and Alessandro Nivola (Disobedience; Kraven the Hunter) is a standout as László’s cousin Attila, a furniture store owner who breaks his cousin’s heart by being fully assimilated into American culture (including getting rid of his outward Jewish identity, like anglicizing his name).
L-R: Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. and Joe Alwyn as Harry Lee in THE BRUTALIST. Photo courtesy of A24.
Brady Corbet’s (Vox Lux) direction of The Brutalist is of passion, nuance, and precision storytelling. This, along with Corbet and Mona Fastvold’s (The Mustang; The Childhood of a Leader) layered script, lays out László’s journey from A to Z in a measured fashion with the breaks between the film’s many parts (an overture, two parts, an intermission, and an epilogue) all being done with precision. The film may carry criticism for its runtime as well as for a shocking moment in its third act that may overdrive its theme of “corruption of one’s soul” a bit too strong. Even this, I would argue, is validated as every plot point and piece of character development happens at the right time and nothing ever seems as if it is happening at an inopportune or unnecessary moment. Daniel Blumberg’s (The World to Come) score is just as epic as the strong writing and direction. His horns, first heard rising to the surface during László’s arrival to America, will blow you away. There’s also Judy Becker’s (Brokeback Mountain; Carol) fantastic production design which gives life to László’s beautiful architecture (which are also “characters” of the film).
THE BRUTALIST packshot. Photo courtesy of A24.
With its 1080 p standard Blu-Ray release, A24 keeps the featurettes and supplements short and sweet. The release comes with collectible postcards of architectural renderings by John Burgoyne, a featurette with cast and crew called “The Architects of The Brutalist,” and an audio commentary by cinematographer Lol Crawley (Vox Lux; White Noise). The beautiful 1080 p transfer is derived from the original 35 mm negatives with VistaVision footage scanned at 6K. For any A24 collectors or purists or for any fans of the film itself, this home release is a must-have.
The Brutalist Blu-ray Special Features:
- Filmmaker Commentary with Director of Photography Lol Crawley
- “The Architects of The Brutalist” Featurette (25 minutes)
- Six Collectible Postcards with architectural renderings by Ákos Sógor
- 1080p High Definition (Blu-ray)
- 16×9 Widescreen 1.66:1 Presentation
- English
- Rated R
- 215 minutes
- English SDH and Spanish Subtitles
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray March 25th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official A24 The Brutalist webpage.
To purchase, head to the official A24 Shop The Brutalist webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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