By Jimm Alley
Sports Editor
On Jan. 14, Apple tv plus released The Tragedy of Macbeth, a modern retelling of the Shakespearean classic. Joel Coen, one-half of the famous Coen brothers, directed the project.
The brothers are well known for directing movies such as The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and No Country for Old Men. However, this is Joel Coen’s first solo directing job without his brother Ethan Coen.
Macbeth features a star-studded cast, including Denzel Washington as the titular character. It also features Corey Hawkins, known for his performance as Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton, and Harry Melling from the Harry Potter series.
The performances in this film are nothing short of spectacular on every level. Washington himself delivers an Oscar-worthy portrayal of Macbeth.
It is easy to get lost in his tortured and hauntingly beautiful soliloquies throughout the film. Washington is not the only one giving his all for the production; Kathryn Hunter provides a very unsettling depiction of the three witches.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a directing masterpiece. Coen’s rendition feels like something taken straight out of the Globe Theater. The entire film was in black and white, which provides an interesting textured and deep picture on the screen.
The sets and backgrounds might be the most mesmerizing part of this film. Each set looks as if it is cut right out of a broadway stage, yet every one of them seems big enough to be its own world.
Coen and this star-studded cast could not have done better bringing this story to life, which was to be expected given his already impressive resume.
Thrilling, suspenseful, and eye-catching are all excellent ways to describe this film. The story of Macbeth has been told a million times over, but none of them are comparable to what Coen was able to do in this silver screen adaptation.
This version of Macbeth is a must-watch for any fan of Shakespeare. If you want to show someone the difference between a movie and a film, you would show them this. Overall Tragedy of Macbeth receives a 9.5 out of 10 and should be the next thing on almost anybody’s watch list.
Macbeth is already one of the best films of the year and will probably still be at the end of it. The directing, acting, set design, sound, and everything else about this film is stellar, and there should be plenty of buzz surrounding it once the Academy Awards roll back around.