Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- foreboding
- brutal
- oppressive
- dark western night
- intense thriller viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually forceful and tense but excessively long, lurid, and morally problematic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story is divided into four named parts that move from Liz's present circumstances into earlier periods before returning to her struggle.
The wilderness and settlements surrounding Liz are marked by religious coercion, brutality, and constant danger.
Liz uses fearsome strength and bravery to oppose the Reverend and secure a better life for herself and her daughter.
The Reverend is a diabolical zealot whose position within the church enables persecution and violence.
Films like Brimstone, and why
the revenant
shared revisionist western setting, relentless violence, moral darkness, and survival-driven protagonist
the hateful eight
shared nonlinear storytelling, stylized brutality, revenge themes, and pulp western intensity
there will be blood
shared frontier cruelty, religious extremism, graphic violence, and bleak historical atmosphere
the nightingale
shared female resistance, oppressive patriarchal power, and harsh western survival drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Koolhoven
- Release Date
- 2016-03-12
- Runtime
- 148 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1314)
Cast
- Guy Pearce
- Dakota Fanning
- Carice van Houten
- Kit Harington
- Vera Vitali
- Emilia Jones
- Paul Anderson
- William Houston
- Charlotte Croft
- Ivy George
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Brimstone about?
- A hunted frontier woman wages a brutal fight for autonomy against the fanatical preacher whose obsession has shaped her entire life.
- What is Brimstone like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Brimstone as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Brimstone violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Brimstone as graphic.
- What did critics think of Brimstone?
- Critics broadly found the film visually forceful and tense but excessively long, lurid, and morally problematic.
- Which films are like Brimstone?
- Films with a similar feel include the revenant, the hateful eight, there will be blood, and the nightingale.
- How long is Brimstone?
- Brimstone runs 148 minutes.
- Where can I watch Brimstone?
- In United States, Brimstone streams on Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
