When directors bring Shakespeare into modern times, the results are usually disappointing. It’s not that the Renaissance writer doesn’t have anything of relevance to say to us now. It’s that such directors usually care more about making a point than making great theater.

Thankfully, the new film of the Bard’s underrated tragedy “Coriolanus” is an exception. It’s a masterful piece of work that would be a real achievement for any director, let alone one making his debut. But Ralph Fiennes, of course, is a veteran of both stage and screen. The actor has proven himself a director of distinct talent — and an actor-director not too egotistical to share the limelight with talent almost as notable as his.