We’ve got a new UK one sheet for Coriolanus and damn but doesn’t Ralph Fiennes look like someone you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley? Ordinarily, since I know nothing about his villainous turn as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, I would not have that thought about Mr. Fiennes’ fine visage.

Courtesy of Empire, the poster shows the title character after an obviously bloody battle, with whom we don’t know. It’s an image we’ve seen in some of the stills released by The Weinstein Company over the last few months (for which Harvey’s at the top of my Holiday card list; Lionsgate is handling overseas distrib.), but used here to great effect. Love his clear, intelligent blue eyes staring out of that bloody face and the specter of Coriolanus’ mother, Volumnia played by Vanessa Redgrave, hovering just behind him. Very intense.

Coriolanus, based on one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, marks Fiennes directorial debut and has already been earning high marks from film festival goers all over the world. In addition to Fiennes and Redgrave, the film costars Brian Cox, James Nesbit, Jessica Chastain and Gerard Butler as Coriolanus’ arch-enemy Tullus Aufidius.  It opens in a limited NY/LA awards qualifying run December 2 (which is in exactly 21 days, but who’s counting?) and I’m already swooning at the thought of watching Fiennes and Butler go mano a mano.