Regardless of the date on the calendar, new millennium and all, it can hardly be argued that one of the most vital of creative forces energizing moviemakers today is one singular writer from the late 1500s, William Shakespeare. For instance, this year, yet another version of Hamlet will be released, this one starring Ethan Hawke in the title role and present-day Wall Street as the setting. Also due to hit screens in 2000 is Love’s Labour Lost, Kenneth Branagh’s ambitious take on the play that reinvents the tale as a full-scale, old-fashioned musical.

One of the most boldly stylized films from last year was also inspired by the Bard and is now finally arriving at the Bethel Cinema. Titus, a film from noted theater director Julie Taymor (she of the acclaimed The Lion King Broadway production), is a striking visual work that will likely throw viewers slightly out of whack. But then, maybe that was Taymor’s point and purpose.

Based on Shakespeare’s play Titus Andronicus, the film opens dramatically with the return of the conquering hero, Titus (Anthony Hopkins), from a successful campaign against the Goths. Covered in grey, caked-on mud (the marks of battle worn proudly by the victorious, weary warriors as a sort of fashion accessory), Titus and his troops march into the coliseum during the opening credits with the slow, staccato gait of not-quite-fully adjustable action figures. This is our first sign that Taymor will be pushing the envelope in terms of the reality in which this play is set. Our second clue comes when Titus and his men arrive, not in horse-drawn chariots, but in automobiles and motorcycles. Taymor’s vision is an intriguing mix — a dash of ancient Rome, a pinch of Mussolini-era Italy, a hint of contemporary punk, and a hodgepodge of other influences — all used to communicate the universality of this play and its central themes.

One of the major motifs as Taymor sees it is the evil of which the human heart is capable and how unthinkingly cruelty and callousness will be returned in kind in a vicious circle. Among Titus’ captives is the Goth Queen Tamora (Jessica Lange) and her sons, one of whom is soon to be sacrificed by Titus in an unmerciful act that sets the stage for one of the many machinations by several parties to exact the revenge for which they believe themselves due. What ensues is a tale full of murder, lust, rape, torture and cruelty. If that doesn’t sound enticing enough, it all leads to a gruesome, brutal climax that is begging for a “just desserts” pun.

There is no getting around it: no matter how visually mesmerizing it may be, Taymor’ s movie is an aggressive, disturbing study on the violence men and women do. Ultimately, her take in Titus is so brutal that the visual flash of the film becomes necessary just to keep moviegoers from being completely overflooded by the ugliness of most of its characters. I believe it to be her intention to make the murderous mediations of these characters and the ramifications of their actions so repulsive as to wake viewers up to the horrors of violence and its glorification (thus the phrase, as used on many of the film’s posters, “If you think revenge is sweet, taste this.”).

Titus, rated R for graphic violence (both shown and implied) and brief nudity, is not for all tastes. It’s not easy to watch. In fact, after seeing it, I realized it’s also not one of those movies that grows on you. Rather, it becomes more disturbing the further away you step from it. However, Taymor, who not only directed it but adapted the screenplay and also served as a producer, again proves to be an artist of fascinating imagination. After tackling the heavy Titus, my mind wandered to how her uncommon vision might handle something just as dark, but not quite as brutal…a Batman film, maybe? Are you listening Ms Taymor?