THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

The Tragedy of Macbeth might have worked better if Joel Coen had used the same rigorous stripped-down approach to Shakespeare's text as he used on the visuals.

What for me is the greatest work in western fiction is translated to the big screen with bold visuals but unfulfilled dramatic potential in Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Using striking, ominous black-and-white cinematography and starkly stripped down sets the director leans heavily on the visual language of silent cinema to provoke suspense and unease, most effectively whenever the three weird sisters are around. Enhanced by Carter Burwell's suitably brooding score, these deliver some of the most memorable film scenes of the year.

Coen's approach backfires in more dialogue-heavy sequences, who attain a stagey stodginess that is at odds with Macbeth's need for continuous forward momentum. Leads Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand nail the slowly building ambition but are less convincing once paranoia takes hold, as they are upstaged by a uniformly excellent supporting cast.

All in all, The Tragedy of Macbeth might have worked better if Joel Coen had used the same rigorous stripped-down approach to Shakespeare's text as he used on the visuals. It seems that even with a classic like Macbeth, you cannot have your cake and eat it.

release: 2021

director: Joel Coen

starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson, Kathryn Hunter