New Coriolanus Trailer Lands

What light from yonder firefight breaks?Judging by its thumping new trailer, Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus looks like a hugely visceral interpretation of Shakespeare's political tragedy. This new spot comes via CC2K and it looks like a blood-stained gem. If you thought the Bard was all about hey-nonny-nonny'ing in forests or irresponsible balcony climbs, it's probably time to think again. Fiennes has jolted the great Bard's play from its Ancient Roman setting and into a fictional modern-day republic. As General Coriolanus, he's pressured to join the Roman Senate by his controlling mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), but finds himself banished from the city in disgrace when his fellow politicians conspire against him. Click here to watch it in full. To regain power, Coriolanus must team up with his sworn enemy, Gerard Butler's Tullus Aufidius, because he controls the Volscian army, and, well, he's Gerard Butler. Updating Shakespeare's histories to a modern context is a tricky business and a bold call for a debut feature - even for someone as well versed as Fiennes - but this look like it could be a more than worthy rival to Richard Loncraine's excellent Richard III. It's out in the UK at the end of the year.