Review: 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' strips down Shakespeare's dialogue, but Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand deliver the emotions with passion
’Tis a daunting task to make a movie out of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” if only because so many filmmakers have tested their mettle on it, mostly with powerful results.
Orson Welles did it in 1948. Roman Polanski made a version in 1971, shortly after his wife Sharon Tate’s murder. Akira Kurosawa adapted it into “Throne of Blood” (1957), considered one of the master’s finest. It was turned into black comedy for 2001’s “Scotland, PA,” set in an American fast-food restaurant. And just six years ago, director Justin Kurzel served up a traditional version with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard as the murderous seekers of the throne.
With “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” director Joel Coen screws his courage to the sticking-place and delivers — without the aid of his brother, Ethan, for the first time in his career — a movie that is as starkly ambitious and brutally effective as the title character himself.
Coen and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (who worked with the Coen brothers on “Inside Llewyn Davis”) go for a cool look — black and white, in the old 4:3 screen ratio (as Welles did), with spartan sets that are striking but never get in the way of the show. The overall effect makes a viewer think of ‘40s film noir, ‘50s TV anthology dramas and Ingmar Bergman movies, and raises the stakes for the high-wire acting work. It’s funny to realize the movie was filmed on a soundstage at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank — because the look is so otherworldly it’s strange to think they could step out the door and go find an In-and-Out Burger.
Denzel Washington plays Macbeth, the Scottish general who has designs on taking the throne, spurred by a trio of witches who foretell of Macbeth’s glory. Kathryn Hunter, the English stage actor, plays the witches and another character — contorting her body and her voice into an eerie Gollum — and nearly steals the movie.
Macbeth invites the king, Duncan (Brendan Gleeson), for a visit at his castle, to make the act of assassination all the more convenient. And when Macbeth starts to doubt the plan, it’s Lady Macbeth, played by Frances McDormand, who prods him into action and, after the fact, frames Duncan’s servants for the crime. As a neighboring thane, Macduff (Corey Hawkins), arrives to find the king murdered, Macbeth’s newly gained crown becomes a weight on his mind — until the fear of being found out leads him to murder his closest friend, Banquo (Bertie Carvel).
Coen’s script cuts Shakespeare’s text down to what’s absolutely necessary. Some of the flowery poetry is lost, but what’s gained is an intense, and surprisingly quick, rendition that gets to the core of Macbeth’s greed and paranoia and Lady Macbeth’s spiraling madness. What Coen’s trims leave room for are the rich and stirring performances by Washington and McDormand, who make even truncated Shakespeare sing.
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” may rankle the Shakespeare purists, who want every damn line of iambic pentameter left where Will put it. But Coen’s approach gives us some breathtaking visuals – the depiction of Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane is worth a standing ovation on its own — and an emotional depth that cuts like a dagger.
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‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’
★★★1/2
Opens Friday, December 31, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (Salt Lake City), and Saturday, January 1, at Century 16 (South Salt Lake City); available for streaming, starting January 14, on Apple TV+. Rated R for violence. Running time: 105 minutes.