The film is set to be released in UK & Irish cinemas on the 24th January.
The Guardian: ***** “It is an electrifying piece of work, stunningly shot by cinematographer Lol Crawley and superbly designed by Judy Becker. I emerged from this movie light-headed and euphoric, dizzy with rubbernecking at its monumental vastness.”
Vulture.com: “The Brutalist is a movie about desperation and anguish, though its willingness to keep that element below the surface of all of its dramas is gratifying.”
Empire: ***** “Brody’s Tóth brims with pain and passion, the actor pushing beyond his Oscar-winning performance in Roman Polanski’s Holocaust drama The Pianist. In silence he speaks volumes, with Tóth a halting, traumatised figure in the first half of the picture. In contrast, yet serving to complement, Daniel Blumberg’s tumultuous, soul-shaking score erupts from the ninth circle of hell.”
NME: ***** “Brody’s electrifying central performance will get all the attention over the coming award season, but Pearce deserves almost as much credit – both actors arguably doing the best work of their careers here. But then there’s Daniel Blumberg’s jagged steam-roller of a score; Dávid Jancsó’s patient editing skills; Lol Crawley’s savage, biting cinematography and Corbet’s self-assured direction – all now surely front-runners to clean up at the Oscars.”
RogerEbert.com: **** ““The Brutalist” is a work that incorporates well-known world history into two of the definitive forms of expression of the 20th century in architecture and filmmaking, becoming a commentary on both capitalism and art. Both are essential to the story of the human experience. Both can be beautiful. Both can be brutal.”
The Standard: ***** “It is impossible not to recognise The Brutalist as anything other than a filmmaking triumph; Corbet’s coming out as a serious director, a reminder of Brody’s power and depth as an actor and a brutal parable for all immigrants and artists who struggle to sublimate themselves in the meatgrinder of America.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “Brody has seldom been better, bringing tremendous gravitas but also a pain that gnaws at László’s prideful sense of self, one of purpose and destiny. It’s a towering performance; seeing the architect treated like garbage is crushing.”