It's 1600. Solomon Kane (James Purefoy) leads a British privateer ship into battle in North Africa. His men are massacred by demons and he comes face to face with the Devil's Reaper. He escapes back to England. After giving away his wealth to an abbey, the monks send him away to his ultimate destiny. He heads for home despite his conflict with his father and the death of his older brother. He joins the Crowthorns (Rachel Hurd-Wood, Pete Postlethwaite, Alice Krige), a Puritan family traveling to the new world. He had renounced violence until the attack of the evil sorcerer Malachi's men.
The story is a dark mix of fantasy and history. Purefoy keeps it compelling. I like Postlethwaite and the movie gets a bit muddled without him. It would have been nice to keep him and Krige with Purefoy as they go rescue their daughter. This is a fine example of a mid-level budget adventure but it's not superior. The good is that there is nothing obviously bad here.
The story is a dark mix of fantasy and history. Purefoy keeps it compelling. I like Postlethwaite and the movie gets a bit muddled without him. It would have been nice to keep him and Krige with Purefoy as they go rescue their daughter. This is a fine example of a mid-level budget adventure but it's not superior. The good is that there is nothing obviously bad here.