The Atlantic

The Visual Histrionics of <em>Cyrano</em>

Peter Dinklage’s bold charisma is matched only by the splendor of the sets in Joe Wright’s film adaptation.
Source: Peter Mountain / MGM / Everett

Every Joe Wright movie, for better or worse, is brimming with theatricality. The British director has tackled literary adaptations (, , ), true-story dramas (,), and action-adventure (,) in his surprising and varied career. Regardless of genre, he’s not a filmmaker who strives for grounded realism. Many of his painterly sets seem ready to burst off the screen, his characters deliver thunderous monologues as though they’re having normal conversations, and his, but I appreciate Wright’s tendency toward visual histrionics, a pattern he maintains for his latest effort, .

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