History Film / SolomonKane

Released early 2010, the film is based loosely on Robert E. Howard's character of the same name. The film begins with Solomon Kane, an English mercenary, sacking a Spanish-occupied fortress in 17th-century North Africa. After easily dispatching any guards unfortunate enough to stand in his way. Solomon's men are set upon by demons and only Kane himself reaches the throne room. The treasure within is vast but much to his horror Solomon finds he is not alone.

Well worth taking a look at the original inspiration, [[SolomonKane Solomon Kane]], along with his creator, author [[RobertEHoward Robert E. Howard]].

!!This film contains examples of:

-->'''Malachi''': Why do you care for her? You came here to save your soul.

* AWizardDidIt: As no amount of herbal medical techniques [[spoiler: can mend the devastating bone, muscle, and nerve damage having your hands nailed to a cross would do, especially in less than a few days]], the movie pretty much [[HandWave handwaves]] the miracle of [[spoiler: Solomon's ''100% fully functional'' hands as some strange pagan magic]]. Then again, they did HandWave it, which is more than most film do...

* BadAss: Solomon. Complete with [[BadassLongcoat Badass Longcoat]].

* BeyondTheImpossible:

* BullyingADragon: A group of thugs harrass and taunt Solomon, who is doing his damn best to never kill again. One is smart enough to notice he's "got murder in his eyes" and has likely killed before. But they ''still'' beat him down for fun. They meet again. He isn't [[CurbStompBattle forgiving]].

* ChildrenAreInnocent: Subverted. [[spoiler: Turns out that child who survived the witch attack was the witch in disguise after all. Solomon wasn't fooled however.]]

** DarkestHour: [[spoiler: Solomon suffers this when he believes he has failed Meredith and by extension lost his chance for salvation. Then ends up letting himself be crucified]]. He recovers though when [[spoiler: he finds out she's still alive]].

** EvilPlan: Malachi informs Solomon that [[spoiler: everything that transpired was meant to bring him here. Essentially so his master could send another minion to try and get him. It fails at every level]].

* TheFaceless: The Masked Rider. Until [[TheReveal the reveal]] that is.

* HeyItsThatGuy: We have {{Rome}}'s Mark Antony trying to save [[Film/PeterPan Wendy]] to redeem his soul.

** Malachi also has neatly scrolled text written across one side of his face.

** Ironically if [[spoiler: Marcus had of died]] things might have turned out for the ''better''.

* KnightErrant: Solomon Kane is this trope. [[spoiler: The film is essentially how he becomes the Knight Errant, hunting evil across the world]].

* ManBehindTheMan: Malachi serves the Devil.
* MenAreTheExpendableGender: Played very straight when [[spoiler: the Crowthorn family is set upon by evil thugs and all the males, the father, eldest son and ''even the youngest'' Edward, are brutally killed. The two women, Mrs. Crowthorn and Meredith, both survive the movie]].

* SelfMadeOrphan: Unusual in that [[spoiler:the father ''asked'' his son to do the deed.]]

* SinisterMinister: Father Michael. [[spoiler: Driven insane by his congregation turning into demons, he keeps them confined under the ruins of his church. He even ''feeds'' them other people. Solomon learns this too late to avoid being pushed in]].
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: Solomon finds his father locked in the dungeon, bound by chains made by Malachi. Josiah Kane tells him that deal he made means Malachi will always be stronger while he lives. Reluctantly Solomon carries out his father's request to kill him]].
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: For some reason [[spoiler: the Devil has Malachi send a 30ft lava monster through a giant portal to kill 6 foot Solomon. Rather than...oh I dunno...the Reaper that Kane nearly killed himself escaping from last time. It looks more like something you hit repeatedly until [[CriticalExistenceFailure its HP bar reaches zero]] than, say, a movie villain.]].

* VillainBall: It appears [[spoiler: the Devil himself is carrying this thing around the whole movie. He sends his reaper after Solomon essentially warning him he's doomed for hell unless he changes. He orders his minion Malachi to orchestrate a reign of terror on Kane family lands ''solely'' to bring Solomon out of hiding. Then has Meredith used as bait. All this to get Solomon's soul. Instead it only gives him new purpose and a noble reason to fight. Backfiring in every conceivable way]].

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* BeyondTheImpossible: Kane somehow manages to [[spoiler: ''un-crucify'' himself from a cross]]

* MadeOfIron: Solomon: in the final fight [[spoiler: he gets stabbed in the heart and continues fighting as though it were only a flesh wound]].

* AnachronismStew: Okay, sure, it's hardly meant as a real historical film, but still, a puritan praying before a decorated crucifix just isn't right. Plus Father Michael is presumably Catholic with that title and in the early 1600s shouldn't even have a church to lose.

* HumanNotepad: Solomon is covered in religiously-themed tattoos and scars, apparently intended to ward off evil. [[{{Fanservice}} And we get to see quite a lot of them.]]

* AWizardDidIt: As no amount of herbal medical techniques [[spoiler: can mend the devastating bone, muscle, and nerve damage having your hands nailed to a cross would do, especially in less than a few days]], the movie pretty much [[HandWave handwaves]] the miracle of [[spoiler: Solomon's ''100% fully functional'' hands as some strange pagan magic]].

* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Well that's one [[spoiler: witch]] who should have spent more time ducking and less time taunting a guy like Kane. Sword to the face...ouch.

* BurnTheWitch: Subverted. [[spoiler: Solomon and the Crowthorns encounter the bodies of villagers who were burning a suspected witch. The problem arose when she actually turned out to be genuine and the fire was utterly useless. She then turned the flames on her capturers and burned the eyes out of all those who came to watch. All while laughing.]]

* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Solomon suffers this when he believes he has failed Meredith and by extension lost his chance for salvation. Then ends up letting himself be crucified]]. He [[IGotBetter gets better]] though when [[spoiler: he finds out she's still alive]].

* HijackedByJesus: The original novels were about a Puritan Christian struggling to understand a world where creatures and forces of various non-Christian belief-systems roam freely, yet the Christian God makes no overt signs of His existence, whereas the movie is all about the struggle between the Judeo-Christian {{God}} and {{Satan}} via human proxies.

* XanatosGambit: Malachi informs Solomon that [[spoiler: everything that transpired was meant to bring him here. Essentially so his master could send another minion to try and get him. It fails at every level]].

* AdaptationDecay / [[AdaptationDistillation Adaption Distillation ]] : As a film featuring a character from classic literature you will be unsurprised to find that [[YourMileageMayVary mileage will definitely vary]]. And [[LoveItOrHateIt Love or Hate]] opinions will follow.

* ManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler: Malachi works for The Devil]].
** Was that really such a big spoiler?

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Despite his best efforts to become a man of peace, the call plagues him until Solomon finally answers. The call [[spoiler: banishes him from the safety of the monastery, kills most of the family that took him in, kidnaps their daughter and ''then'' he finds out Malachi is now residing in his family's castle]].
* TheDragon: The Masked Rider is this to Malachi.
* TheFaceless: The Masked Rider. Until [[TheReveal the reveal]] that is.

* TheUntwist: It didn't take any audience very long to guess [[spoiler: that {{TheDragon}} was Kane's older brother Marcus behind the mask]].

* {{Narm}}: "Solomoon!", "Merediith!"
* OlderThanTheyThink: People have said this looks like VanHelsing and/or VampireHunterD, but Robert E. Howard was probably the first to use the black clothes / NiceHat / BadassCape (or [[BadassLongcoat Coat]]) combo for this kind of character - way back in the 1920s.

* CompleteMonster: Malachi is the devil's loyal servant after all.
** Arguably Marcus was well on his way. He's already an arrogant bully and attempted rapist. All this is long before he will one day be Lord of the lands with real power. Even a young Solomon seems to know his brother's nature all too well, even calling him out on it in front of their father.
*** The Masked Rider. [[spoiler: Who turns out its actually an enslaved Marcus]].
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: When Solomon finally begins his [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Roaring Rampage Of Revenge.]]

* WhatAnIdiot: Sure Josiah Kane [[spoiler: give your lands and wealth to an evil sorcerer in order to heal your badly injured eldest son. Because we all know Faustian pacts have a long history of NOT backfiring. Oh, I'm sure all those thousands of people on your lands won't suffer under his rule and even if they do, what's the suffering of hundreds next to one JerkAss son's health? What could go wrong?]]

* AntiHero: Solomon Kane.
** At least for the first few minutes of the film. He doesn't take long to loose the "anti" bit.

* IWillFightNoMoreForever: Solomon vows off violence forever. [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready It doesn't last]].

* HeroicSociopath: Solomon certainly qualifies.

*HeyItsThatGuy: We have {{Rome}}'s Mark Antony trying to save [[Film/PeterPan Wendy]] to redeem his soul.

**There wasn't so much of an army per se in the early 1600s... but there would have been badly trained (and drunk) local militias available for hire. If you want an army, you'd have to wait about another 40 years.
*HumanNotepad: Solomon is covered in religiously-themed tattoos and scars, apparently intended to ward off evil. [[{{Fanservice}} And we get to see quite a lot of them.]]

*MenAreTheExpendableGender: Played very straight when [[spoiler: the Crowthorn family is set upon by evil thugs and all the males, the father, eldest son and ''even the youngest'' Edward, are brutally killed. The two women, Mrs. Crowthorn and Meredith, both survive the movie]].

This film contains examples of: