This focus on psychological struggles is further enhanced by the director's poetically visceral aesthetic. Likewise, a young soldier lost during the initial battle sequence makes a prominent reappearance as a ghostly apparition that carries Macbeth's infamous dagger, binding a tragically human face to the customarily floating weapon while shedding new light on the protagonist's increasingly fragile and scarred psyche.
This motif of children continues to play on throughout the film, including the addition of a little girl to the traditional trio of witches who bestow Macbeth with his prophecy. For one, the director opts to open the film by revealing that Macbeth and his wife have lost a child - adding another layer to their relationship and subsequent decisions. But as the pair's actions grow more and more nefarious, guilt and paranoia begin to take hold, threatening to unravel everything the couple has worked so hard to attain.įor the most part, this is a pretty faithful adaptation of the original material, though Kurzel and his writers do make some notable embellishments and alterations that help to give this version a unique stamp. Spurred on by his ambitious wife (Marion Cotillard), Macbeth embarks on a dark and bloody journey to claim and maintain the throne. And while that does lead to some affecting imagery, one can't help but feel like there are some pieces missing between all of the "sound and fury."īased on William Shakespeare's famous play, the story focuses on Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), a Scottish General who plots to take the crown for himself. Namely, what are they supposed to do with all those "words, words, words?" In Justin Kurzel's 'Macbeth,' the director opts to take on an aggressively cinematic approach, trimming down and reconfiguring the play's lengthy soliloquies and dialogue in order to create a more visceral and intimate experience. After all, on the page or on the stage, the legendary playwright's poetic language is naturally given the proper emphasis that it demands - but film is an inherently visual medium, and this presents a specific hurdle for filmmakers. It is, however, a visceral experience (unlike many Shakespeare adaptations) led by two Oscar caliber performances.When it comes to big screen Shakespeare adaptations, the source material's greatest strength (the Bard's original text, of course) also often proves to be a director's greatest challenge. Overall, it's not a usual adaption but nor is it one that I would want to sit through more than once. It wasn't really until I dug my teeth into this particular interpretation of these characters that I began to care for the stylistic storytelling. For the first 30 minutes or so, the choppy editing and strange visual cues Kurzel uses didn't enhance my viewing experience.
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On the other-hand, Cotillard also had her hands full with the meaty role of Lady Macbeth, but she holds her own with Fassbender, constantly nailing the difficult Shakespearean dialogue.Īs previously mentioned, you do feel a strong presence of Kurzel's visual flare here and I think there is valid argument to make that it tarnishes some aspects of the story. If marketed more, this could have been another nomination for Fassbender. He effortlessly demonstrates Macbeth's confidence while also adding in vulnerability to his paranoia.
It took me awhile before I became accustomed to Kurzel's style, but it proved to create more of an emotional backbone to what is already a heavy story.įassbender, who has found such a nice balance in starring in blockbusters and indies, gives another astounding performance as the troubled title character. Kurzel chose to take a much more visceral and experimental approach with the storytelling, and for the most part, it works. Not only was I enthralled by both of their turns, but I enjoyed the different take on a story that has been redone so many times. Justin Kurzel's fresh take on the classic Shakespeare drama boasts two breathtakingly good performances from Cotillard and Fassbender, which is more than enough to overcome the unnecessarily flamboyant direction.įor someone who isn't at all into any of Shakespeare's classic tales, I was intrigued with this project for merely two reasons Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender.
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