The Brutalist (2024): A Towering Triumph of Cinema

Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist isn’t just a movie—it’s a three-and-a-half-hour sledgehammer of ambition, beauty, and raw human struggle. This sprawling epic, released in late 2024, dares to be everything modern cinema often shies away from: bold, unapologetic, and defiantly complex. It’s a film that demands your attention, rewards your patience, and haunts your thoughts long after the credits roll. With Adrien Brody delivering a career-defining performance and Corbet crafting a visual and emotional monument, The Brutalist is a towering achievement that’s as divisive as it is dazzling. Let’s break down why this film is the cinematic event of the year, backed by hard stats, critic raves, audience buzz, and a few hidden gems that make it unforgettable.

A Story That Builds and Breaks

The Brutalist follows László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who flees post-war Europe in 1947 to chase the American Dream. Landing in Pennsylvania, he’s a man scarred by trauma but driven by vision, hoping to rebuild his life, marriage, and legacy through his art. Enter Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), a wealthy industrialist who sees László’s talent and commissions a grand community center—a brutalist masterpiece that becomes the film’s beating heart. What unfolds is a decades-long saga of ambition, betrayal, and the brutal cost of power, weaving themes of immigration, capitalism, addiction, and the clash between art and commerce.

The film’s structure is audacious: two acts split by a 15-minute intermission, plus a coda that leaps into the 1980s. The first half builds László’s rise with meticulous detail, while the second dismantles it with a ferocity that some love and others find jarring. Critics like Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian call it “an electrifying piece of work,” praising its “monumental vastness” and “stunning” cinematography by Lol Crawley. Yet, not everyone’s sold—some, like Lisa Johnson Mandell at At Home in Hollywood, argue the second half’s “ridiculous turns” and heavy-handed metaphors make it “a propaganda film disguised by gorgeous fat.” Love it or hate it, The Brutalist doesn’t play it safe, and that’s its greatest strength.

Screen Stats That Pack a Punch

Let’s talk numbers, because The Brutalist is making noise both critically and commercially. As of April 13, 2025, the film has grossed $49.3 million worldwide, with $16.3 million in the U.S. and Canada, per Wikipedia. It opened in just four U.S. theaters on December 20, 2024, pulling in $266,791, then expanded to 1,118 theaters post-Oscar nominations, earning $2.9 million in a single weekend. For a $10 million budget, that’s a solid return, especially for a 215-minute R-rated drama.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 93% critics’ score from 319 reviews, with an 8.7/10 average, and an 80% audience score from over 1,000 reviews. Metacritic gives it a 90/100 based on 57 critics, signaling “universal acclaim.” Awards? It’s a juggernaut: 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, with wins for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Actor for Brody. It also snagged three Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, and four BAFTAs, per Forbes. On X, fans like @lndra__ rave, calling it “a masterful study in form and function” with a 9/10, while @CriaturasLite gripes it’s “slow” and “doesn’t advance much.” The buzz is loud, and the stakes are high.

Screen Deep Dive: The Nuts and Bolts

• Release Date: Premiered September 1, 2024, at the Venice International Film Festival; limited U.S. release December 20, 2024; wide release January 17, 2025 (Wikipedia).
• Major Cast: Adrien Brody as László Tóth, Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth, Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren, Joe Alwyn as Harry Van Buren, Alessandro Nivola as Attila Miller (IMDb).
• Crew: Directed by Brady Corbet, co-written by Corbet and Mona Fastvold. Produced by Andrew Morrison, Brian Young, and others. Cinematography by Lol Crawley, score by Daniel Blumberg (IMDb).
• Awards: Won Silver Lion for Best Direction at Venice 2024; three Oscars (Best Actor, Cinematography, Original Score); three Golden Globes; four BAFTAs; named a top 10 film of 2024 by the American Film Institute (Wikipedia, Forbes).
• Artist Comments: Brody told Variety, “This role was a gift—it demanded everything, and I poured my soul into László’s pain and passion.” Corbet said in a New York Times interview, “We shot in 33 days on a $10 million budget, which feels like a miracle.”
• Hidden Gems:
  1. The film’s brutalist church was inspired by St. John’s Abbey Church in Minnesota, designed by Marcel Breuer, not a fictional Doylestown site (IMDb).
  2. Corbet used VistaVision, a 1950s widescreen format, unseen in decades, to evoke a bygone cinematic era (The Guardian).
  3. A scene with 1950s dollar bills mistakenly shows 1963 Federal Reserve Notes, a minor anachronism spotted by eagle-eyed fans (IMDb).

Why It Hits Like a Concrete Slab

The Brutalist is a visual and emotional gut-punch. Shot on VistaVision and projected in 70mm for select screenings, it’s a love letter to cinema’s golden age. Crawley’s cinematography turns concrete and steel into poetry, with stark angles and dizzying frames—like the upside-down Statue of Liberty in the opening—that scream ambition. Daniel Blumberg’s score, a thunderous blend of orchestral swells and eerie silences, won an Oscar for a reason. Judy Becker’s production design, from gritty ship holds to opulent mansions, grounds the film in tactile reality.

Brody is the soul of the film, his László a mix of flinty rage and aching vulnerability. Critics like Rolling Stone’s David Fear call it “work of depth and emotional devastation” unmatched since The Pianist. Pearce’s Van Buren is a viper in a suit, his charm masking a predatory streak, while Jones, entering late as Erzsébet, brings a steely grace that shifts the film’s perspective. The ensemble—Nivola, Alwyn, Stacy Martin—adds layers, but it’s Brody’s show.

Thematically, the film is a beast. It tackles the immigrant experience with unflinching honesty, showing America as both a land of opportunity and a crucible of betrayal. It’s a critique of capitalism, with Van Buren’s control over László mirroring how wealth devours art. Subplots on Zionism, addiction, and gender dynamics add heft, though some, like Vulture’s Alison Willmore, argue the second half’s “erratic jumps” dilute the impact. Still, Roger Ebert’s Brian Tallerico nails it: “It’s a great American novel on screen, winding its themes around its characters.”

Critic Takes and Audience Roars

Critics are in love, mostly. The Globe and Mail’s Barry Hertz calls it “the best film of 2024,” praising its “transformative majesty.” The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis sees it as “a bursting-at-the-seams saga” tackling “utopia to barbarism.” But not everyone’s on board. Free Beacon’s John Podhoretz slams its “loathsome worldview,” calling it “spectacularly false” on anti-Semitism and capitalism, despite admiring its craft. Metacritic’s user reviews range from “a major work of art” to “art but not fun,” reflecting its polarizing heft.

On X, the audience is vocal. @JeffDLowe gives it a 94/100, hailing Brody’s Oscar-worthy turn but docking points for the “ending holding it back.” @EmmaVigeland loved its 70mm glory and “surprisingly funny” moments, plus its critical take on Zionism. But @ZakRed567, while awed by its “astounding construction,” admits it’s “not for everyone.” The split is clear: cinephiles worship it, casual viewers balk at the runtime.

Watch or Skip: The Verdict

So, should you watch The Brutalist? Watch it. This isn’t a popcorn flick—it’s a cinematic marathon that demands focus and rewards it richly. If you love epic dramas like There Will Be Blood or The Godfather, this is your jam. Brody’s performance alone is worth the price of admission, and the technical brilliance—cinematography, score, design—makes it a big-screen must. The 215-minute runtime and heavy themes (sexual violence, drug use, anti-Semitism) aren’t for the faint of heart, and the second half’s pacing may test your patience. But for those who crave bold storytelling, it’s unmissable.

Stream it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, or Fandango At Home for $19.99 (no rental option yet), or catch it on Max between March and May 2025, per Forbes. If you can, hunt down a 70mm or IMAX screening for the full experience—check Fandango for theaters. Skip it if you want light escapism or can’t commit to nearly four hours. But if you’re in, brace for impact.

A Monument Worth Scaling

The Brutalist is a film that doesn’t just entertain—it challenges, provokes, and lingers. Corbet’s vision, Brody’s soul-baring performance, and a craft that screams passion make it a rare beast in today’s streaming-saturated world. It’s flawed, sure—some say it overreaches, others find it cold. But its ambition is undeniable, its impact seismic. As Films Fatale puts it, “Corbet has always had a unique vision, and The Brutalist is as big, textured, powerful, and affecting as motion pictures get.” Stay sharp with Ongoing Now 24.