The classic Willaim Shakespeare play, “Macbeth”, is being revived and brought to the big screen by Australian director Justin Kurzel. The lush landscape and dramatic musical score makes for an excellent backdrop to bring this beloved story back to life. With plenty of blood, guts, treachery, and screaming speeches this crime drama focuses on how the lust for power can play with a man’s mind and ultimately lead to his destruction.
A Scottish general and nobleman, Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), is given a prophecy by three witches that one day he will be king. Lady Macbeth (Marion Cotillard), the general’s overly ambitious wife, convinces her husband to move up his accent to the thrown by murdering King Duncan (David Thewlis) and framing the ruler’s son Malcolm (Jack Reynor) for the crime. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth succeed in their plot and now rule the kingdom, but fear and paranoia that their rule will be threatened by those closest to them take over any common sense they possess. The scheming continues and together the king and queen plot to rid themselves of anyone that threatens their rule. Meanwhile, Malcolm, who fled to England, is raising an army and will return so that he can take back the crown.
With many shots done in slow motion, Macbeth is filled with grey skies, black thick mud, spewing red blood, and death slowly taking the victims of war. The battle sequences set the dark tone for the film and although violent are beautifully shot. The cinematography is amazing as it displays the harshness of the land with its grey hues and yellow tones making for a gorgeous canvas. Adding to the dark heavy feeling, the musical score gives power and fury to this latest Shakespearean endeavor.
Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard are perfectly cast in the lead roles and are a match made in heaven. Portraying a man exhausted from battle and filled with grief after the death of his infant son, Fassbender brings to life a man who allows the allure of fame, fortune, and power to control his better judgement. Once his character becomes aware of the atrocities he has committed, Fassbender shows off the torment of a man now filled with guilt knowing that he cannot undo what he has done. Cotillard really only needs to use her facial expression to brilliantly convey the emotional torment her Lady Macbeth endures once she witnesses the emotional and mental downfall of her husband. The French actress delivers her lines with passion and flare, taking her from a conniving queen to a woman tortured by outcome from the wheels she set in motion.
Those who are unfamiliar with the story of Macbeth and have not brushed up on the Shakespearean style of English will probably find this film very hard to follow. Just as you feel you about to grasp what the characters are saying it is on to the next speech and now you have start figuring how to interpret the next set of dialogue. Although the film is beautifully shot, the pacing of the story is off making it often feel slow and sluggish. The witches just keep popping up out of now where and don’t even bother trying to figure out how or why no one else notices them on a bloody field with battle in full swing. The cinematography and performances by Fassbender and Cotillard as well as the supporting cast are what make this movie worth at least the first watch. But for most moviegoers once will be enough since it is unlikely that today’s audiences will be able to relate to the older style of storytelling.
