Prompted by three prophesying witches, Macbeth (Denzel Washington) is yearning for power, and following a victorious battle, finds the Scottish King favoring his own son as heir. Encouraged by wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand), he kills the King and covers up his deed while murderously pursuing others in the royal court. Amid subterfuge and conspiracy, loyalties are tested, and as newly throned Macbeth and his wife grow fearful and delusional, an English army approaches with a powerful reckoning.
This is acting on a fundamental, pure level, and the lead actors and cast are thoroughly convincing. Washington is a perfect Macbeth full of pride, bravado, cold bloodedness, and later madness, and he is matched by McDormand’s scheming spouse who in turn descends into her own depression. Various settings are immersed in fog which acts almost as a separate character, while stark, haunting imagery and menacing, symbolic figures (especially birds) give this an otherworldly feel not unlike classic Ingmar Bergman.
The
overlapping themes touch upon morality, corruption, suspicion, and vengeance. The spoken Early Modern English can be a
challenge to mainstream audiences, but enough is conveyed contextually and from
sheer commitment by the cast. Indeed, an abundance of idioms and iconic phrases
in today’s world originated from this source material. Shakespeare’s words are a dazzling blueprint
for any medium; even a play hundreds of years old with a minimalist interpretation
has a brisk pace without losing mood or narrative. The Bard has rarely been so
well presented cinematically.
****
of **** stars
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