The Tragedy of Macbeth Review
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth has existed in many different iterations in the centuries since it was first put to paper. There have been modern interpretations that ditch the sing-songy language, and more faithful versions that choose to expand on the framework originally. It's a story that has been done to death but when director Joel Coen, working without his brother Ethan, seeks to adapt The Bard’s popular fable and enlists the help of Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand to play its two central characters, it’s impossible not to take notice.
While past Coen works have mixed comedy and drama to tremendous effect, The Tragedy of Macbeth is as faithful of an adaptation as one could imagine. So much so that at times it feels like a stage play brought to life with minimalist set dressings and camera tricks that frame the scenes as if on a stage. The Tragedy of Macbeth is still Shakespeare and all that comes with it, but it’s easily one of the most impressive versions of this story put to film.
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Macbeth is a play that doesn’t need much in the way of a summary, but it’s worth highlighting Coen’s narrative choices. He chooses not to embellish the events of Shakespeare’s play or to add to it beyond what the text suggests. The Tragedy of Macbeth is arguably one of the most faithful cinematic adaptations seen in quite some time, but what makes this version of Macbeth so unique is its filmmaking and performances, which are award-worthy.
Washington commands the screen with a presence that is beguiling. When he first comes across the Wyrd Sisters (played with disturbing confidence by Kathryn Hunter), Macbeth is entrepreneurial and naive. His line
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