The Brutalist

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The Brutalist

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3h 35m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

93%

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142 Reviews

92%

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50+ Verified Ratings

Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost....

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Critics Consensus

Structurally beautiful and suffused with Adrien Brody's soulful performance, writer-director Brady Corbet's The Brutalist is a towering tribute to the immigrant experience.

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Andrew Marzoni

The New Republic

Corbet’s indulgence in symbolism is heavier-handed than a fistful of concrete and steel, and yet it works.

Dec 23, 2024

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

A movie to stare at and ponder, an imposing creation with “a hard core of beauty” as someone says of Tóth’s minimalist masterpieces.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 23, 2024

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Justin Chang

NPR

Corbet, who's only 36, is already a director of startling confidence, and he's made a rare American film that feels genuinely worthy of the word "epic."

Dec 23, 2024

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James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Corbet uses the familiar “rags-to-riches” trope as a skeleton for the movie but imbues it with deeper, darker shadows.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 23, 2024

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Ruth Maramis

FlixChatter Film Blog

Adrien Brody is intensely heartbreaking in Brady Corbet’s sobering cautionary tale of the elusive American Dream. The word ‘epic’ is often overused but I don’t think it’s a hyperbole to call The Brutalist the cinematic epic of the year.

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 23, 2024

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Austin Burke

Austin Burke/Flick Fan Nation

The Brutalist is a monumental film. As grand and epic as it is from a visual and cinematic standpoint, the story is just as impactful but on a more personal level. Brody is Oscar-worthy and Pearce gives his best performance in two decades.

Rated: 9.5/10

Dec 22, 2024

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Peter S.

Way too long and drawn out. No need for 3.5 hours. A24 you try so hard to make this film overly epic with fancy cinematography and musical score but that didn't save the story and I found myself just bored. "The next Godfather" is certainly is not. Wait for it to stream and when you have 3.5 hours to kill.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

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Alexander B

The movie is an hour too long. Otherwise quite good.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/22/24

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Angelica

Almost 4 hours worth of watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/21/24

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Taylor A

The movie of the year.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/21/24

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Dave M

Watch this movie!! I love films about immigrants, and this is one of the greatest I've ever seen. The acting performances are phenomenal (give Brody the Oscar), the craft is fantastic, and the story feels like a great novel. The runtime seemed daunting at first (3.5+ hours), but it genuinely flew by. The intermission turned this movie into two really good halves (the first is a conventional masterwork while the second is shocking and thoughtful). I'm going to need to see this again to dissect the ending.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

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Robert C

The first 2 hours (pre-intermission) were charming and highly engaging, with the feel of a great, classic film. But the story lost its touch in the last 90 minutes, with wild shifts in tone and an overt play for Award-worthy "importance." Overall, a good film, but a shadow of what it could and ought to have been.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

Full Review

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Brady Corbet

Director

Adrien Brody

László Tóth

Felicity Jones

Erzsébet Tóth

Guy Pearce

Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr.

Joe Alwyn

Harry Lee

Raffey Cassidy

Zsófia

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The Brutalist: Trailer 2

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The Brutalist: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost....

Director: Brady Corbet
Producer: Nick Gordon, D.J. Gugenheim, Andrew Lauren, Trevor Matthews, Andrew Morrison, Brian Young
Screenwriter: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Andrew Lauren Productions, Brookstreet Pictures
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Drug Use|Rape|Some Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 3h 35m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)