This take on the 1952 novel is lavishly shot and full of excellent performances. It lacks the heft to be a full examination of human nature, but it\u2019s a high-quality family saga<\/p>\n
It is rarely difficult to distinguish between a\u00a0John Steinbeck novel and a ray of sunshine. The new adaptation of his 1952 book East of Eden doesn\u2019t buck the trend and wastes no time plunging us into the murk. The opening scene follows a beaten, bloodied woman as she crawls across a muddy field towards the only house for miles around. Out of the house come two brothers. One rushes to rescue her. The other takes one look and announces: \u201cThis is a mistake.\u201d Brother,\u00a0you have no idea.<\/p>\n
The rescuer is Adam Trask (Christopher Abbott), the sceptic Charles (Mike Faist). Cut back 25 years to watch them being raised in misery in an\u00a0essentially motherless household by their monstrous father, Cyrus (Tracy Letts), a civil war veteran and ceaseless recounter of his heroics therein. Charles longs to follow in his footsteps. Adam is beaten\u00a0for his lack of aggressive instinct. But it is Adam\u00a0whom Cyrus sends to enlist and Charles he forces\u00a0to stay behind and work on the family farm. \u201cBecause,\u201d he says to Adam in a rare instance of paternal wisdom, \u201cthere are loose things in him that\u00a0should be reined down.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/56a9f67c2a490b45b83bbce9cb1a89377b213a03\/300_0_3000_2400\/master\/3000.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4081a9f48cd2dcb02ac7470f417214b1\" "\\"East")
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