Fair warning: I maybe understood 25% of the words in this film. There is barely a phrase I could take away or decipher in full. It’s above me, or at least above my understanding of the English language. You may wonder then, what makes me qualified then to tackle a review of it? Just think of it as a very true-to-the-subject-matter betrayal.

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a top-tier realization of the famed Shakespeare play. Led by one-half of the famed Coen brothers, it’s an interesting exercise of Joel Coen letting go of any favored style and trademark for a mostly pure distillation of what’s needed. It’s a commendable experiment of going all-in on the ways of old, while still leveraging enough artsy flair and performance depth to elevate it.

Having been subject to numerous adaptations in the past, one of which was semi-prolific in its own right and isn’t even especially old, what’s most striking about this one is the surrealist way the sets, cinematography, and actors merge. The black-and-white filming is just the gray cherry on top, placing the almost post-modern, high-art castles as if they’re alien structures jutting out of the world.

This pairs exceptionally well with the grounded, serious portrayals by the actors. The performances across the board are so impassioned that the sets are the perfect ethereal skeletons for them to play around in. It very much feels like you’ve stumbled into a secretive project made entirely for Joel Cohen in his backyard with his buddies, but this isn’t a slight in the slightest.

Everyone is excellent, but it’s really Denzel Washington as Macbeth who dials up his performance from its humble beginnings to an excellent payoff. Kathryn Hunter as the witches needs to be seen, for either a liberty-taking or dead-on accurate performance that heightens that subject matter in excellent, wild ways.

Now, I’ve already alluded to (actually, explicitly stated) that the vernacular in this film very much felt like a different language to me. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that this will very much be the case for many people. If you’re familiar with the story already, I think this inaccessibility works in the film’s favor and creates a disorienting effect that compliments this particular interpretation. However, if you can’t tell your Macbeth from your Hamlet, consider doing a little bit of background work first. If all of this sounds in any way off-putting, I’d say avoid it at all costs.

The follies of this film do not parallel its overambitious title character. What it goes for is very much achieved, and any of its shortcomings are at least understandable. This is not the main focus of either the project or the budget, but the uses of CGI (as limited as it is) aren’t up to the standard of the other visuals. Additionally, while the constructed, stylized sets give this movie a great edge, for the most part, there are some rare moments where it feels that what you’re looking at couldn’t withstand a push.

It has been said that this is a boring film by some, but if the vibe and mise-en-scène alone are on your wavelength, you’re going to be more than satisfied. This is a clear case of making the most out of a little bit, while still shaking up Shakespearean if you will. It’s boiling a world and whatever filler down to the bare minimum and letting some incredible actors embody it and elevate it to the near best it can be. It really didn’t want to be more than this, and as an interesting embodiment of different shades of both minimalism and maximalism, it’s a dish best served cold; devoid of color and expectations.

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The Tragedy of Macbeth

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8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Excellent visuals.
• Unique approach to the setting.
• Award-caliber acting.

Cons

• The low budget shows at times.