Cinematic Releases: The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - Reviewed

Courtesy of A24 and Apple Original Films

Legendary filmmaking team Joel and Ethan Coen, aka The Coen Brothers, for the first time in decades have done the unthinkable in the eyes, hearts and minds of cinephiles worldwide: they parted ways.  Their last film together was the 2018 Netflix anthological Western epic The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a brilliant but labyrinthine dose of trademark Coen Brothers iconography and the contemporary Southern Fried Western.  In the past the Coens have turned their attention to beloved literary works, infusing their own idiosyncrasies with the text such as their interpretation of Homer’s The Odyssey with O Brother, Where Art Thou? and more recently No Country for Old Men.  What will be the first one without the other involved, this time around, takes on Shakespeare and notably one of his most adapted to film over the century, The Tragedy of Macbeth.

 
Functioning as a contemporary companion piece of sorts to Akira Kurosawa’s own take on Macbeth with Throne of Blood for its leanings towards theatricality, haunting expressionistic vistas and a powerful leading performance from the main character of Macbeth, The Tragedy of Macbeth is at once a formally brilliant interpretation of Shakespeare while also working as a deconstruction of the Shakespearean lore.  By now the story is familiar to many: Scottish general Macbeth (Denzel Washington) and Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) conspire to kill King Duncan of Scotland (Brendan Gleeson) and assume the throne after receiving a prophecy from witches.  From there it becomes a battle for power as Macbeth wields his authority and a subsequent civil war engulfs the castle in chaos as both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth drift into madness.
 
While echoing Kurosawa’s film as well as touching on Orson Welles’ own interpretation, what separates this particular Macbeth from the others is Joel Coen’s precise control of the visual medium anchored by pitch perfect performances by Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand who are tasked with wrestling with the tongue twisting Shakespearean dialogue.  Shot in expressionistic black-and-white 1.33:1 Academy Ratio largely in medium close-ups interspersed with occasional God’s-eye wide angled vistas lensed exquisitely by Bruno Delbonnel, the film has a diamond cutter’s polish to the imagery.  Drenched in fog with distant glimpses of looming castle towers and opaque, open fields for Macbeth to lose himself in, The Tragedy of Macbeth has a dreaminess to what eventually builds up to be a blood soaked Hellscape.

 
Equally powerful is the film’s subtly haunting ambient score by longtime Coen stalwart Carter Burwell, furthering the film’s minimalism with hints of vastness.  Though taking center stage a few times during key battle sequences with heavy bass tones, much of The Tragedy of Macbeth is centered on the dialogue and soliloquys of it’s titular power hungry madman charting out the map to his own eventual demise.  Denzel Washington is without question one of the best living actors of our time and Macbeth is one of the performer’s juiciest roles yet!  After a bit of a night off with The Little Things which underutilized his talents, the actor is back in full swing channeling the Shakespearean dialogue with his own distinctive brand of acting.  In other words, Washington makes the role his Macbeth and you can even hear a bit of Alonzo Harris from Training Day in the delivery. 
 
The real onscreen wonderment is Kathryn Hunter who plays all three of the witches who prophesize of Macbeth’s ascension to the throne.  In an astonishing feat of physical acting, her body contorts and twists as she delivers dialogue with the dark and unsettling vocal range of Mercedes McCambridge.  Some of the strongest scenes in this particular Macbeth just have the camera trained on Hunter who makes the viewer recoil in fear at her unnatural bodily contortions.  Though her scenes are fewer than Washington’s, many would argue she steals the show from him whenever she’s onscreen.  It is that uncanny to behold and from this alone she would make a great teammate with equally terrifying physical actor Javier Botet.

 
Currently in limited theatrical release via A24 before a forthcoming Apple TV+ streaming release, The Tragedy of Macbeth as a first solo Coen effort while not necessarily a breakthrough it is a strong, bold and foreboding interpretation of the classic Shakespearean tragedy.  While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hamper the film and moviegoing industry, the Heaven meets Hell netherworld of The Tragedy of Macbeth is so gorgeous to look at there isn’t a screen large enough to contain the pure visual vastness being suggested here.  Yes it is another take on a story that will probably be adapted again but among the Macbeth films this is obviously one of the best attempts yet, a formally brilliant masterwork of technical filmmaking and theatrical performances made by clearly one of the best filmmakers still working today.

--Andrew Kotwicki