THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Some stories are just timeless, no matter how many times they’re told. If you don’t believe me, look at 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth.
PLOT
The film follows the infamous general, Thane of Glamis, achieve victory over Thane of Cawdor, alongside General Banquo on behalf of King Duncan. Both generals encounter a trio of witches who share a prophecy that Banquo will father a line of kings, while Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor. Becoming jealous that Duncan’s son Malcolm will become Prince of Cumberland, his wife Lady Macbeth convinced him to kill the king in order to assure his claim to the throne. While she drugs two of his servants, the general moves forward by stabbing his superior in the neck with a dagger. When Macduff, Thane of Fife, discovers his body by the following morning, Macbeth is able to tie up loose ends by killing the servants his wife drugged. Malcolm chooses to flee to England, out of fear for his life, which allows Macbeth to assume the throne. Hoping to eliminate his final tie to the prophecy, he orders Banquo and his son Fleance (Lucas Barker) to be assassinated. Banquo does get successfully killed by assassins, but Fleance is able to escape from a dark fate. During a Royal banquet, Macbeth grows paranoid, hallucinating of witnessing the ghost of Banquo. Lady Macbeth dismisses the guests, in order to calm her husband down. The king’s paranoia only worsens when he encounters the witches again, who share a vision that will be king until Great Birman Wood comes to Dunsiane Hill. Wanting to maintain the power, he orders his household to executed. Macduff himself only survived due to fleeing to England alongside Malcolm. Lady Macbeth descends into madness of her own, feeing guilty of the chaos she started. When Macduff discovers what happened to his family, he vows revenge and Malcolm seeks aid from the English to take the throne. Macbeth plunged into further despair when finding his wife dead. He still believes he’s invincible when Malcolm invades and Macduff challenges him. He is proven not to be so when being beheaded by an enemy he created. The film ends with Malcolm inheriting the throne as planned, while the surviving Fleance leaves Scotland.
THOUGHTS
I have known of this story for a long time and surprisingly, this is the first time for me to see an onscreen adaptation of it after countless prior versions that have been released. Nevertheless, I didn't let that phase me from enjoying this film. This one was so captivating to get through because Director Joel Coen because it feels so frightening. When you take notice of the production design and cinematography, you're just put into a claustrophobic feeling, which'll remind viewers that the world is not swell like we imagine it. This is a gritty tale that expresses the timeless morals of: Take responsibilities for your actions, be careful who you trust, greed is not satisfactory and have your own mind. Like the original story, I would never have taken notice without the unique array of characters to behold. When it came to Denzel Washington, casting him as Macbeth was a genius decision because every role before this, he always spoke in a way that felt Shakespearian, like he was meant for this role in particular. It paid off in the long run, earning another Best Actor Oscar nomination for accurately depicting the titular lead as overly ambitious as he was always written to be. He is a man who believed being powerful is more literal than metaphorical, but learns the hard way that some things are not meant to be taken. He was terrifying to witness throughout because he has no shame with his actions and doesn't put second thought to it. I at first complained of why he went forward assassinating Duncan when being spotted by others and keeping the daggers, but the truth is that he was that confident of succeeding. While it worked out in his favor, it didn't last long as he hoped. Frances McDormand was straight up transcendent for being on point portraying Lady Macbeth as quietly ruthless for manipulating her husband to the path that destroyed them both. She wanted the power too to last as long as it could, becoming more motivated to have it. Seeing the end result come at her face broke her to realization that some things aren't meant to be taken either. What I like a lot about Banquo & Macduff were that both Bertie Carvel & Corey Hawkins equally express these characters as the most noble in comparison to Macbeth, the true reason they were meant to be better rulers than him. When I think of Malcolm, Harry Melling accurately depicts him as one who is timid, but does grow to the world around him, with his own realization that avoiding the conflict doesn't make it go away. Once he found out what Macbeth had done, he knew only he could take the stand to stop him. With him gone, it is clear that he will live up to his father's expectations. Speaking of which, Brendan Gleeson easily impressed me in his minimum time as Duncan, who is the most generous king ever written. This guy knows what is best for Scotland. Despite making a great general out of Macbeth, he gave it to his son because he know it'll help him grow. Sadly, he couldn't get to live to see that happen. Last but not least, Kathryn Hunter was easily the creepiest thing about this movie for making the three witches just as sadistic and manipulative as you'd expect. Every time one or the other, you just want to leave the room. They are without question the true villains in this movie because their first encounter with Macbeth set everything in motion. In short, 2021's The Tragedy of Macbeth is a standout iteration of the Shakespeare classic for feeling the most daring. If you have Apple TV+ and have also enjoyed the past adaptations, then I am certain you'll feel the same with this one.
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