Film review: “The Tragedy of Macbeth” looks incredible, but never fully comes to life

Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” strips down one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays to bare bones.

A24’s latest hit began a limited theatrical run on Christmas in 2021 and was released for streaming on Apple TV+ Jan. 14, 2022.

Denzel Washington plays the titular lord, and Frances McDormand his devious wife. Both do about as well as you’d expect by two modern legends, who’ve both won Oscars in leading roles. 

The rest of the cast isn’t particularly memorable, with the exception of Kathryn Hunter playing all three witches that appear before Macbeth. Hunter’s chilling delivery surely will have the longest-lasting impact of all the film’s performances. Some of the play’s most famous lines (“Double double toil and trouble…” and “By the pricking of my thumbs…”) couldn’t have been executed much better.

Like “C’mon C’mon,” “Passing,” “The French Dispatch” and a few more released this year, the film is in black and white (Coen’s second film as such, after “The Man Who Wasn’t There” over two decades ago). This adds to the isolating feel all throughout the 105-minute runtime. Another characteristic of German Expressionism in “Macbeth” is the use of shadows. The brutalist set design and gloomy lighting make for a very cold viewing experience. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (“Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Darkest Hour”) will likely enjoy more collaborations with Coen, as they worked on three other projects together previously.

Undoubtedly, this is one of the better of the direct adaptations of the Bard. That’s not to say, however, that it is particularly riveting. While some drama teachers and fans of Elizabethan English might have a heyday watching this film, the mostly bloodless film gets a bit boring.

Something that could’ve made the “Macbeth” film slightly more interesting would be to allow Washington and McDormand to express an actual relationship on screen. When the two leads never really express passion for each other, the whole thing feels rather empty. These two top-tier talents know how to play characters in love, and their solemnness leaves one wanting more emotion.

This lower-tier Joel Coen project is undeniably one of the most striking films of the year, but “The Tragedy of Macbeth” does little more than please the eye.