Review: Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender
Australian director Justin Kurzel gets stuck into Shakespeare’s Scottish play with this toothsome adaptation that makes an impression for its fierce performances. And also being one of the most attractive films of the year.
Observe.
You certainly can’t deny that the film has visual verve, with Kurzel using every trick in the cinematic playbook including timelapse, slowmotion and colour grading while also foregrounding the action elements of Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy.
It’s an impressive and atmospheric production then, making the most of location photography on the Isle of Skye at throughout Scotland and Northern England. And that quality is matched in the strong performances on offer.
Chief among them is Michael Fassbender’s Macbeth, a noble man transformed into a seething mass of insanity by the end. The actor brings a lot of physicality to the role, leaning into his line readings and throwing himself into the many fight scenes.
Marion Cotillard is just as good, if not better. She takes to the lines brilliantly as Lady Macbeth, and far from her native language too.
The supporting cast is also routinely excellent, including Paddy Considine, Jack Reynor, David Thewlis and Elizabeth Debicki. Sean Harris might just be the best thing about this film, with plenty of scenery to chew as the much-wronged Macduff. It makes me wish he brought a bit of this energy to his villain role in Mission Impossible Rogue Nation.
This is a fleet footed adaptation, getting through the vast majority of the important scenes in just 113 minutes. This speed can sometimes make it all feel a bit rushed, especially how quickly Macbeth succumbs to madness. Such is Fassbender’s charm that you never quite hate the character, even after his man misdeeds.
I have to admit that the combination of Shakespeare’s dense dialogue with some thick Scottish accents made some exchanges difficult to decipher but the broad strokes of his vigorous version of the tale mean that the story is never difficult to follow.
One positive point is that the director is set to reteam with both Fassbender and Cotillard for the new Assassin’s Creed movie, and it’s clear he already has an eye for action, impressive visuals and all kinds of dramatic nastiness. You could easily use footage from Macbeth to make a great fan trailer for the new movie.
There’s plenty to like in Kurzel’s aggressive adaptation of the centuries old play – especially the production and visual design and a slew of strong performances. When it comes right down to it, this is still an over the top tragedy told in convoluted verse form, and that’s not necessarily what an audience wants when it goes to the cinema on a Friday night.
