Cert: 15 | ★★★★★

In his very first solo outing as director without his brother Ethan, acclaimed writer-director Joel Coen (Fargo, A Serious Man, No Country for Old Men) presents a sumptuous and moody new interpretation of William Shakespeare’s enduring tragic play, Macbeth.
The film is co-produced by Coen and Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Nomadland ),with the latter putting in a thrilling turn as Lady Macbeth. Coen and McDormand have been married since 1984, with the acclaimed Oscar-winner starring in a number of Coen brothers projects, including their excellent debut feature Blood Simple.
In its new incarnation, The Tragedy of Macbeth stars Hollywood heavyweight Denzel Washington (Philadelphia, Training Day, Fences) as the titular character, British theatre star Alex Hassell (The Miniaturist) as Ross, Brendan Gleeson as King Duncan and Bertie Carvel as Banquo.
Elsewhere Harry Potter alum Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit) is Malcolm, while multifaceted actor Kathryn Hunter plays all three witches to perfection.
As we would expect, the story revolves around Macbeth, a Scottish lord who is convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland. First reluctant to act on the premonition, Macbeth is pushed by his ambitious wife who actively encourages his plans of seizing power by any means necessary.
Subsequently, Lady Macbeth is later consumed by guilt and regret, leading to sleepless nights and dark thoughts.
Of all the great Shakespearean plays, Macbeth is undoubtedly one that lends itself to cinematic interpretation the most — Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa and controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski have all had their own vision of the tragedy committed to film with great success.
Here, Coen presents a meticulously executed production with striking German and French expressionist sensibilities — think FW Murnau’s Nosferatu, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis or even Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc. With grandiose scale sets bathed in angular lights and looming shadows, this gorgeous interpretation feels both fresh and new, but also most definitely anchored in film history.
With some extraordinary turns from an inspired cast and a visually stunning cinematography courtesy of Bruno Delbonnel (Amélie, Darkest Hour), Joel Coen’s first foray into solo filmmaking is nothing short of a masterpiece. It feels less like an adaptation and more like its own entity.
And to top it all, both McDormand and Washington put in two of their strongest turns yet.