Review of Macbeth (2015) by Rebecca L — 20 Jan 2016

It's a rarity to witness a film quite like the 2015 version of Macbeth and although purists will no doubt have plenty to say about this iteration, Justin Kurzel's stunning and hypnotic work offers a blistering take on the Shakespearian tale.

During a civil war in Scotland, Macbeth, a leader and warrior, is given a mysterious insight into his future. This future begins to unravel at a frightening pace and soon Macbeth is locked firmly in the grasp of a destiny he cannot control.

Kurzel's direction finds him sticking to a theatrical formula, while trying to inject a cinematic quality about it all and although at first this leaves mixed results, the 2nd act finally finds its footing, offering up a blend of excellent performance and striking visuals.

The cast, which include Fassbender, Cotillard, Harris, Considine and Thewlis, offer up extremely daunting, yet brilliantly portrayed characters that subtly bubble throughout, Fassbender is absolutely stunning as Macbeth, doing more than just pulling off a genuine Scottish accent and mastering the difficult language, this is just as much a physical performance as it is anything else and he nails it right from the word go.

Although a special mention must go to Considine who gives one of his most reserved and brooding performances to date. Macbeth offers up an entire array of arresting visuals, from dream like tableau's to gritty reality all shot stunningly on location, Scotland hasnt looked this beautiful on film for quite some time.

Top it all off with a fantastic score and the atmosphere and tension that is create here will have you gripped from start to finish. Macbeth does struggle with its footing to begin with, it struggles to find its identity during the opening 20 minutes, unsure of who its target audience may be and indeed just how to tackle the material.

What follows is an opening that tries it's hand at a variety of different styles, some working better than others. Although Macbeth is fantastically paced and gets the story across, there are also moments that feel dreadfully under nourished, Macbeth's transition into the infamous tyrant happens all too quickly and his madness is never touched upon in the depth that some may hope for.

Its a brilliant achievement and offers up so many attributes rather than negatives it would be a shame to miss it, your previous time with the material may end up shaping your judgement on the finished product, but there is no denying that Kurzel and indeed Fassbender have seriously stepping up to the challenge in a captivating way.