The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
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The Tragedy of Macbeth Movie Review
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a 2021 historical drama film directed by Joel Coen and starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. It is a terrific adaptation of its source material.
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“By the pricking of my thumbs,
something wicked this way comes“
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A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland. His ambitious wife will do anything to support him in his plans of seizing power. Most of the original storyline is remained intact in this faithful and timeless version that has the potential to become the ultimate adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. 2021 was a fantastic year for adaptations of iconic English literature works and this one sits firmly with ‘The Green Knight’ as another incredible work.
I am not a fan of black actors playing these iconic roles set in the past. Scotland in the eleventh century did not have black people, and certainly not in the positions of power, so this was ridiculous. But this is obviously something that Hollywood will continue to do, so we have to adapt and it’s only a minor issue, especially when Denzel is this good.
This is another terrific performance from Washington in a recent streak of strong turns. He was particularly outstanding while acting out the scenes of the character’s grief-stricken disorientation and madness. I also have to say that I found Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth excellent. Yes, the industry’s obsession with this actress is still frustrating, but there is no denying the solid job that she did here and this is actually a much better, richer performance than her weak Oscar-winning turn in last year’s ‘Nomadland’.
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The two did seem a bit too old for these particular roles, but they still had great dynamic and I bought both of them eventually as these characters. It was also great seeing Brendan Gleeson and he was well cast as King Duncan. Others are less interesting with the exception of the witches, all played so effectively by Kathryn Hunter.
These fantastical elements were my favorite in this movie. I loved the scene of the prophecy in the beginning and the sequence with the pool was also instantly memorable and very cinematic. These magical and otherworldly bits and pieces helped make the movie really striking.
That brings me to my next point – the film’s atmosphere. At first, I was a bit taken aback by the overwhelming sense of theater in this production. Having been filmed entirely on sound stages, the movie surely looks like a stage production. Eventually however, I’d come to fully appreciate this approach as it was essential in making this story feel otherworldly, strange and not quite a historical drama based on real events. I loved that magical realist and strange aspect to it.
Yes, The Tragedy of Macbeth has outstanding dialogue as is usual for all Shakespeare works, but this movie actually focuses more on the visuals and the atmosphere than on the dialogue, which was a great choice to make it distinct from other adaptations. The score is terrific, the production design is splendid and the black-and-white cinematography is starkly gorgeous.
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There are so many moments here that are instantly memorable with the pool scene, the barn sequence and the murder springing to mind first. The Brutalist architecture and the Gothic atmosphere also made the story more eerie and again out of this world, which I absolutely loved. It was so well directed by Joel Coen in his first solo directorial effort without the help of his brother, though I wished for a bit more energy in its execution.
