The Tragedy of Macbeth.  Not much else needs to be said in terms of plot.  Macbeth (Denzel Washington), upon returning from a successful battle against the traitorous Thane of Cawdor, encounters three strange sisters (Kathryn Hunter) who prophecies that Macbeth will be the King of Scotland.  When his wife (Frances McDormand) learns of the prophecy, she becomes obsessed and leads her husband to kill King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson) and take the throne.  

Joel Coen, separate from his brother and frequent collaborator Ethan, join the ranks of auteurs who made brought one of William Shakespeare’s most enduring plays from the stage to the screen.  From Orson Welles (1948) to Roman Polanski (1971), and Justin Kurzel (2017) to name a few, Coen’s take of the infamous Scottish Play is shot in stark black and white with theatrical staging and lighting, accompanied by a heavy and ominous score by Carter Burwell.  Coupled with the bold visuals is crystal clear dialogue and sound design that rattles through your bones, The Tragedy of Macbeth, produced by A24, is a sensory delight. 

Macbeth is one of the Bard’s most captivating and exciting plays given its employment of the three strange sisters and the bountiful options of interpretation by the director on just how much influence they have over the events of the play.  Here, it finds Hunter in a bit of a triple role as all three in an act of contortion as she cycles through the famous opening lines.  Later, the two other sisters – still Hunter – are shown in the reflection of a puddle, until finally, they take the physical form.  Hunter is one of the standout performances in this iteration, and while Coen appears to lean pretty heavily of the influence of magic in his telling, at least in so far as some of the creative choices surrounding Hunter, he still keeps many of the prophecies and visions rooted in realism and allows the Macbeths’ own ambitions take over and drive the latter half of the story. 

Washington, in the title role, wears the crown with a simmering intensity.  Significantly older than the lead actors in the previous films, the ambition to take the crown here is not so much to become the leader of a new dynasty, but a last-ditch effort to make his mark on history.  He fills the frame impressively and the language comes so easily to him that it rolls over and envelops the audience in the feeling and intent even if that precise wording is lost at the time.  The more integrated style sought by Coen here allows Washington to stay grounded in the scene during the monologues and the sets really allow him to interact with a physical world wherein the veteran actor excels.  It starts with mistaking a door handle as a dagger, but as the Thane’s descent into madness accelerates, the visions and apparitions become wilder.  While those around Macbeth may not be able to see, say, the crow that flies and torments him, Coen allows the audience to see both real and imagined. 

Finding that balance and utilizing the strengths of both stage and screen is what propels The Tragedy of Macbeth into a real work of art.  The sets are very theatrical in their construction as well as the lighting, but Coen’s camera is dynamic.  There are no trick movements here, but the use of everything from extreme close-ups to wide shots are used to his advantage as he creates an unsettling atmosphere for this tragedy to unfold.  The use of black and white works incredibly well with the tight 4:3 aspect ratio that gives the film a classic, lived-in feel but the modern filmmaking technique still makes it widely accessible to audiences despite the abridged awards-qualifying release strategy by Apple Studios ahead of its streaming debut.  Unlike Mank (2020) which sought to use black and white photography and some added-in-post visual flair in an attempt to give the film a stately, classical look mimicking what would have been seen by audiences at the dawning of Welles’ career, The Tragedy of Macbeth actually captures that feeling of watching a classic film that has endured the ages; fitting given the age of the source material.  

Turning back to the performances, the next most iconic role in the play besides the sisters is that of Lady Macbeth who strives for greatness and convinces her husband to take the fulfillment of the prophecies into his own hands.  McDormand is villainous and remorseless as the role requires, and while her individual delivery of the later soliloquies – “out damn spot” – works well as showcase pieces, she suffers under the structure of the play that much of her mental deterioration is done off-screen.  Without being able to vamp up to those final sequences, the performance overall does come across a little disjointed, but her chemistry with Washington is impeccable.  In the middle acts of the film, as Macbeth begins to become more obsessed with remaining king whatever the cost, McDormand plays the Lady with a tinge of fear that perhaps she has gotten them in over their head, and it is a quality that is not often seen in the couple. 

The final character of note is Ross (Alex Hassell), who, like in the play, retains a very advantageous relationship with all of the central characters.  Hassell plays the character as very sly and mysterious and the shadows of the black and white photography helps to make Ross appear omnipotent making him a great foil to Hunter’s sisters.  The wonderful portrayal here comes at the cost of Macduff (Corey Hawkins) as it is Ross that appears more in tune with the dastardly plot hatched by the Macbeths.  Hawkins has his suspicions, but it is not until very late in the film that we really begin to see him act on them and the moral tug of war that surrounds Macduff’s eventual act of regicide which is one of the great debates of the play is not allowed the room to breathe in this adaptation. 

As an initial solo outing for Coen, the film is impressive on a technical front and strong performances are gleaned from his entire cast.  Its connection to the Bard is undeniable as it is a handsome and faithful adaptation of Macbeth, however, it varies greatly from the style audiences have come to associate with “A Coen Brothers’ Film.”  Its identity is not easily categorized as “good” or “bad,” but it is new ground to be sure for one of today’s finest working filmmakers.  The sensationalism of the brothers’ big split is the least interesting thing swirling around The Tragedy of Macbeth like the fog that so often fills the frame of the Scottish exteriors as what is presented on screen is an impressive work of adaptation to one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays.