Review of Macbeth (2015) by Grant S — 27 Aug 2016

"Macbeth" is another adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. This is the best one I have seen so far. It remains truthful to the source material as well as being a phenomenal cinematic treat. It brings the feel of beauty and brilliance and still remains an engrossing tragedy.

This "Macbeth" is directed by Justin Kurzel, who also directed "Snowtown" and the upcoming "Assassins Creed (2016)" film. The film is about the fierce general Macbeth (Michael Fassbender) who is is fighting for King Duncan (David Thewlis) in the last battle. Here he see's three witches (three women with a girl and an infant) and tells him and Banquo (Paddy Considine) that Macbeth will be king and Banquo's sons will be king. Macbeth is uncertain of what he thinks and sends word to his wife about this. Lady Macbeth (Marion Cotillard) becomes intrigued and then comes up with a plan for Macbeth to murder the king and take his place. At first, he doesn't want to do but his wife persuades him otherwise. After certain events we then see Macbeth become king and slowly fall into madness that marks the certainty of his doom.

Like I said before that the film remains truthful to the source material. It's truly authentic. The language is Old English, for instance, a famous quote can be heard here. "So foul and fair a day I have not seen." So it's this kinda talk that not many would care to hear and I understand that. It's difficult to follow and hard to understand. For me, the benefit of the this is it actually required me to think about their conversations. I got lost many times but its dialogue to observe and if you pick it apart you can understand the actual meaning. I enjoyed in doing so. Like I said, though, if you are not in Shakespear's dialogue then you probably won't enjoy this film. There is nothing else that explains what's going on.

If you are familiar with the play and you think it will offer nothing more than a story you will be dead wrong. First of all the cinematography and visual are powerful. Pause any scene in the film and you will have a stunning work of art. The beginning of the film showed a bloody battle that is told in slow motion and normal motion and it looks so beautiful. The director tried to capture beauty in tragedy and he does it so perfectly that each scene is just so astounding to look at. Just for visuals alone, I would recommend this.

Then, of course, another good reason and perhaps the main reason to watch this is because of its lead performance from Marion Cotillard and especially Micahel Fassbender. Marion Cotillard is wonderful as lady Macbeth who is the reason for enticing Macbeth but ultimately realizes the fault and consequences of her actions. There is a mesmerizing scene where she is at an abandoned church confessing the terrible deeds she has done to her dead child. She was really convincing as a character. However, Michael Fassbender steals the show. You probably heard that from many film critics because it's the honest truth. At first, he feels like an honest man, but when he slips into madness it slowly pours out of him. We see the guilt and ambition that takes over like a disease. His eyes look heavy with bags under them and his words make less sense. He becomes this demon and loses his way till the very end where he then is confronted with the truth of his actions. Fassbender portrays Macbeth incredibly committed similar to performances we seen in Heath Ledger as The Joker in "The Dark Knight (2008)" or like Robert De Niro in "Taxi Driver (1976).

So all these reasons add up to a true tragic masterpiece. This film is a haunting film that is about torment, violence, madness, and self-doubt all dropped into a visual pool of lush color. "Macbeth" is the Shakespeare film I have been waiting for and I hope that the director will make more of his adaptations.