Ralph Fiennes made his directorial debut with “Coriolanus,” which is based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name. Fiennes also stars as Caius Martius, a Roman general who is both revered, feared, and at odds with his fellow citizens. Fiennes certainly picked a most challenging project for his first directorial effort, but having done many Shakespeare plays onstage, he has a mastery of the Bard’s infinitely passionate dialogue.

The action of “Coriolanus” has been moved to the present day to where parallels with Occupy Wall Street and the current wars in the Middle East can be seen. Caius has more than proven himself in combat, but the townspeople despise him for taking their food away. When he is pushed by his mother, Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), to seek the powerful position of Consul, fellow politicians scheme against him and get the town to expel him for good. This forces Caius to join forces with his blood enemy, Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler), in battling the Romans and seeking vengeance against those who betrayed his trust.

“Coriolanus” is one of the many Shakespeare plays you could do an entire thesis on as it covers many thematic elements. Whether it is the power of the people, the corruption of politics, the selfish desires of others or looking at what war does to some, you could spend so many hours discussing all which goes on here.

Fiennes gives a powerful performance as Caius, and certain scenes will enthrall the audience to where you can hear a pin drop wherever and wherever you decide to watch this film. While the townspeople’s anger at Caius may be justified, Fiennes convinces us he is a war veteran who has done his patriotic duty. This is not some mere power-hungry villain at play, but a instead man who feels he deserves more respect than he has been given. His flaw, however, is that he is incapable of respecting those he has spent his time defending.

As a director, Fiennes employs the same kind of shaky camerawork Kathryn Bigelow employed on is Oscar winning film “The Hurt Locker,” the same film which he made an appearance in. The bullets fly all over the place, and they all sound like steel swords clashing with rage. In addition, he also gets the actors to speak the Shakespearean language in a natural tone while giving those with bigger parts a chance to show off their amazing theatricality. The tone is a bit jarring at times, but everything comes together eventually.

Fiennes is also backed up immeasurably by an impeccable cast. Gerard Butler easily gives one of his best performances outside of “300” and “Olympus Has Fallen” as Tullus Aufidius, the commander of the Volscian army whose anger at Caius equals his passion for his people. Jessica Chastain is also an exceptionally strong presence as Caius’ wife, Virgilia. But the best performance to be found here comes from Redgrave who is a powerhouse as Caius’ mother, Volumnia. Chastain captures Volumnia’s controlling and manipulative nature to where she doesn’t just bring her son to his knees, but the audience as well.

“Coriolanus” does meander a bit here and there, and it threatens to bite off more than it can chew. But when all is said and done, this film is a powerful experience nonetheless. Kudos to Fiennes who picked quite the project to mark his directorial debut with as any lesser director would have easily failed in adapting such complex material. Some would have started with something easier, but not the man who portrayed Lord Voldemort.

* * * ½ out of * * * *