But the Coen version, led by two acting titans, raises the bar by turning a literary warhorse into an urgent cry from the heart that astounds on every level. Daniel (007) Craig will star in a Broadway production next year. Macbeth has been performed for centuries and will again. In a film of dazzling design-there are enough swooping birds of portent to make Hitchcock green with envy-it’s Coen’s depiction of what ambition does to corrupt humanity that gives the film a psychological punch that is, tragically, as timely as it is timeless. For comic relief-Shakespeare knew we needed it and boy, do we ever-there’s Stephen Root as a drunken porter hamming it to the delicious hilt. And McDormand expertly navigates Lady Macbeth’s descent into madness, most chilling in her realization that nothing can wash away the blood she has spilled.Īll the actors shine, with special praise to Corey Hawkins as Macduff, the lord whose betrayal of Macbeth leads to the shocking execution of his wife (Moses Ingram) and children. Washington, a commanding lion in winter, immerses himself in Macbeth’s fall from grace, a necessity in any tragedy. Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth may have a slightly longer title than past adaptations of the Scottish Play, but the movie itself, at 105 minutes, is actually tighter than most. MORE: Review: 'Judas and the Black Messiah' is a new movie classic The king must die and that’s just for starters as the Macbeths plot their takeover and Washington and McDormand, who breathe intimate new life into Shakespeare’s classic verse, provide a dazzling demonstration of acting at its finest. That’s Macbeth, all right, as we meet him-hair and beard flecked with gray- after emerging from war at the service of King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson), who gives him the lesser title of Thane of Cawdor while reserving succession rights to his son, Malcolm (Harry Melling). For their 1984 debut, “Blood Simple,” the Coens took the title from novelist Dashiell Hammett who defined it as the addled, fearful mindset of people after prolonged immersion in violent situations. Take the three witches, all played by Kathryn Hunter, in a brilliant, body-contorted tour de force that demands awards attention, who tell Macbeth he’s in for great things if he shows the backbone.ĭownload the all new "Popcorn With Peter Travers" podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tunein, Google Play Music and Stitcher.Īnd there’s no skimping on the poetry as the Macbeths hurtle to their doom. Coen cleverly directs his “Macbeth” like a crime thriller with horror show elements.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |