If you want to see what’s under that cassock, check out Ralph Fiennes in “The Return” (2024). In this partial adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” an ancient Greek epic poem that is a way better read than it sounds, Odysseus has finally come home after leaving his kingdom on the island of Ithaca twenty years ago to fight in the Trojan War. Instead of coming home to cheers as the triumphant hero, he washes up on shore more like a drowned rat that no one recognizes. He discovers that his home is overrun with men trying to marry his wife, Penelope (Juliette Binoche), kill his son, Telemachus (Charlie Plummer), and consume everyone and everything. Will he be able to save himself, his family and his kingdom?
It may seem as if Fiennes is having a great year starring in two outstanding films in 2024, which includes “Conclave” (2024), but at least in Massachusetts, the showtimes for “The Return” are sparse: mostly one to two. So if you want to see it, don’t wait because it probably will not last. I rushed to a 10:45 am showing, and unlike most movies shown at AMC, it began precisely at the advertised time with little to no commercials or previews. Don’t be late! I missed the credits and arrived when Odysseus was planted face down on the stony beach. For people unfamiliar with the story, think of it as the unofficial, more bare bones “Gladiator” sequel that you wanted if you cannot stand the camp of “Gladiator II” (2024), which sadly means that you do not like fun. There are plenty of lofty speeches in between all the violence, and unlike “Gladiator,” lots more sex and nudity.
“The Return” is a revenge movie with a social message: war is bad. For people unfamiliar with Fiennes’ work, many of his passion projects are about renown warriors reimagined for a contemporary audience. Instead of being held up as paragons because of their prowess on the battlefield, Fiennes aims to show men torn up from the inside out with their soul in tatters yet compelled to stay on mission. It is a case of having your cake and eating it too: a well-known historical figure in “A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia” (1992), titular Shakespearean headliner in “Coriolanus” (2011) or even historical revisionist nonsense like “The King’s Man” (2021). Fiennes loves playing the tortured soldier with his classic downturned mouth and delivering a moralistic message while kicking all the ass. Think a mournful, more realistic sized Liam Neeson with better acting chops. As Odysseus, he is the veteran who returns home to hear about his legend but treated worse than a dog by lesser men. Sound familiar? For this role, he is getting back to roots and baring it all with complete full-frontal nudity, which he may not have done since Peter Greenaway’s “The Baby of Macon” (1993), but neither nude appearance is sexy. For Odysseus, it is more of a rebirth coupled with death of the man who won a war and was lauded as a hero. He is on the knife’s edge of embracing obscurity content to remain on the edges dwelling with slaves while the horrors of war haunt him, especially as the only survivor. Fiennes is keeping high and tight to pull it off—all muscle, no fat.
“The Return” does an excellent job of making a well-known story feel visceral and urgent. It is a dystopian tale where crime and corruption are rampant with the Queen, Penelope, under constant threat. While it makes complete sense that men from everywhere would rush to shoot their shot with a woman like Binoche, the film makes it obvious that her choice is not which suitor. Nope, choose a suitor or deal with a bunch of rowdy, rapey men. If the film has a flaw, it is choosing to set Penelope’s daily stroll at night. No woman is going out at night in that atmosphere. The scene is supposed to serve two purposes: the faithlessness of these alleged suitors and her servants and to show the yearning for her husband. In the denouement, there is a clever reveal about the double purpose that her loom serves. It is not just the yarn that she spins to put off her rose ceremony. The plot twist also gives Odysseus an opportunity to prove that he is just built different from other men. She is a shrewd woman, but she cannot hold them off forever. Binoche plays Penelope with a little relatable anger even after Odysseus is revealed—after all he put her in danger and took his precious time saving her. It is not a spoiler if it is a story told before Christ’s birth. Sorry, not sorry.
Also Penelope is a single mother trying to protect her jackass son. Are we sure that the suitors do not want to kill him because Telemachus is annoying? He does not quite translate well because he came off more noble and grounded in the book whereas here, he is more like a petulant twenty-something. Once Eurycleia (Angela Molina), who was Odysseus’ nurse as a child and chief loyal attendant, also known as Penelope’s anger interpreter, starts wailing on him, it is hard not to audibly cheer. Eurycleia is not a woman who hates violence. Practically humming, “oooooooo, you’re going to get it,” Molina has so much fun in the role as the person who cannot wait for someone to open a can of whoop ass on the unwelcome guests and spends more time rolling around with Fiennes than Binoche ever does. Later Odysseus delivers on the threat, “wait until your father comes home.” but there is also some tension because Odysseus could easily accidentally snap the kid in half if he misjudges his moves and strength. Plummer manages to be a sympathetic brat in “All the Money in the World” (2017) so the fault probably lies with Italian director and cowriter Uberto Pasolini and writers Edward Bond (RIP) and John Collee for making him too much like twentysomethings from the twenty first century.
If “The Return” has another flaw, it is a bit disconcerting that a story about Greeks is filled with mostly Brits, Italians and Spaniards as the good guys. It is a mostly multicultural cast, which is great, but because the dialogue correctly describes the suitors as savages, and the majority are men with dark hued skin, especially lead baddie Antinous (Marwan Kenzari), it has the unfortunate and likely unintentional effect of using the classic trope of men of color lusting after white women. To be fair, there are a few bad white guys. The most sadistic is Pisander (Tom Rhys Harries) who is memorable and another man who is Antinous’ right-hand man. Among the slaves, the most judgmental of Odysseus is Hippotas (Jaz Hutchins), and he later makes up for it and pays for his disrespect. While a ton of maids are getting freaky with the occupiers, they are mostly blurred, but the ones shot clearly facing the camera and having the best time are Black and are present during the iconic carnage scene post stringing bow competition.
If there is one visual flaw, Pasolini fails to fully capture the colorful beauty of Greece. It may have been intentional to reflect the gloom of oppression, and the plan was to gradually lift the pallor as Odysseus stiffens his resolve to reclaim his home. Pasolini does a great job building up tension then releasing it in the fight scenes. Honestly if some random dude killed the biggest, baddest henchman on staff, take the hint and run. Each confrontation is fraught with the possibility that Odysseus may have lost a step. It is unclear whether characters catch on about Odysseus’ identity. With Eumeo (Claudio Santamaria), the slave who takes in the random, scarred naked man, the point is clear, but with other characters like Penelope, it apparently is more ambiguous and unsatisfying to some. Preceding the cathartic showdown, the answer seems retroactively clear, an offer of redemption and a last stab to save herself through forgiveness. Fiennes does not waste a single moment in the way that he takes his time to reacquaint himself with his favorite weapon. The man’s eyes will well up with tears at the least moment, and he never lets us forget that he misses home. As he moves with his bow, it looks like he is conjuring up the elemental forces that finally brought him home.
If you are expecting supernatural shenanigans, be prepared to be disappointed, but when the acting is this good, who needs CGI that could later look dated and laughable. Also it was the first time that I saw the parallels with Odysseus’ story and the idea of Jesus’ second coming, especially with the wardrobe choices—all the men cloaked in draped, rough cloth, and Penelope looking like a silent, serene Mary. Whether you want a meaningful movie or just some tasteful revenge, “The Return” is a must-see movie. Good luck fitting into its schedule.
