Movie Review: The Tragedy of Macbeth

As a treatise on the relentless drive to secure power for the sheer purpose of seizing power, William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is unequalled in its recognition of the effects of the evil that men do in pursuit of this power. Denzel Washington stars as Lord Macbeth in Joel Coen’s masterful adaption of the timeless tale of political ambition thought to have been first performed in 1606 that remains as poignant and illuminating today as ever. 

Seeking power, Lord Macbeth (Denzel Washington) – along with the aid of his conniving wife (Frances McDormand) – sets a plan in motion to seize control of the Scottish throne through a murderous plot that eventually plunges its perpetrators into madness. 

Working without his brother Ethan, director Joel Coen crafts a masterful adaptation of one of the greatest tragedies ever created. Working from his own script, Coen shoots the film in an exquisite black and white provided by Bruno Delbonnel cinematography. The frequent use of slanting shadows and blurry visages allows the film to echo the hallmarks of German expressionism established in Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). In this, and many other ways, Coen’s film is a testament to the wondrous achievements that can be accomplished when a team of creative people such as those assembled here are expertly guided by a sure handed artist towards a common goal of creating true art. 

Denzel Washington in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” © A24

Denzel Washington leads the stellar cast with perhaps one of his greatest performances, full of nuance and emotion that allows the character to truly come to life. McDormand, too, is the embodiment of Lady Macbeth as her machinations behind the scenes unfold and eventually spiral into chaos. That is not to say anything less of Brendan Gleeson’s King Duncan who still manages to loom large throughout the entire film, despite being dispatched midway through the proceedings. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find an unworthy performance within the film as a whole.

Carter Burwell, returns to the Coen fold to provide a remarkable and haunting score for the film that effortlessly accentuates the uncannily beautiful production design provided by Stefan Dechant. In short, the movie is a thing of beauty to behold and undoubtedly an exquisite work of art. 

Working without his brother, Joel Coen has crafted perhaps one of the greatest cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare’s seminal tragedy in the history of cinema. It is, in essence a work of art unto itself and The Tragedy of Macbeth may eventually come to be heralded as the director’s own masterwork as well. 

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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