Macbeth

Who was Macbeth actually made for? Connoisseurs will not find any superior value in it compared to the original, on the contrary, they will be convinced that its proper place is in the auditorium of theatres, and the less knowledgeable viewers will not get a warmer concept either. Only die-hard fans of the actors might find the excellent cast to their liking. The new version of the famous play does not bring a faster pace or a more original concept, the only change is that the grandiose conversations of the characters have replaced the theatre setting with the realities of the Scottish Highlands. Shakespeare is already challenging, so I don't understand why it's stretched out with long slow-motion shots of chilling landscapes or the faces of dejected actors. In the final analysis, therefore, this is a great-looking drama that brings nothing but misery to everyone involved, from the audience to Macbeth. (29/01/2016)

Even in Macbeth, Justin Kurzel can indulge in what fascinated him in Snowtown - a moral vacuum that arises around extremely ambivalent characters, torn apart by violence and manipulation. Of course, in collaboration with Adam Arkapaw, he powerfully uses the rugged Scottish landscape as a mirror of the inhospitable interior of the two main actors, who (filmed mainly in relentless detail) form the magnetizing center of the adaptation. The Macbeth couple and their gradual decline into madness usurps almost all of the space, and if the actor doesn't have the talent to play in a small area with a fascinating intensity like Sean Harris, he's out of luck. It's not a bad thing, because Fassbender and Cotillard act with an intensity that easily withstands the uncompromising choice of detail and faithfulness to the original’s language, although the strongest moment is when Macbeth sheds a “tear of madness" in the middle of a wordless scene. Kurzel chooses a gloomy, very slow tempo, which in the middle finds itself in the stereotypical arrangements of monologues / protagonist dialogues (an obvious screenplay defect), but for most of the rest of the runtime, it is only thanks to the fascinating interplay of Arkapaw's eye and the ears of Justin's brother-composer Jed that the film holds a very intense charge. The battle scenes are on the verge of Refnov mannerism, but for me they fit into the overall tone of "naturalistic lyricism". Yes, Branagh's blasé attitude breaks under the dictates of darkness, and even the BBC cycle The Crown feels airy compared to Kurzel's adaptation. In some ways, Macbeth is very close to the controversial but captivating adaptation of Andrey Arnold's Wuthering Heights. He also seeks in the classics the forgotten taste of blood, the smell of sweat and the slime of mud. And he won me over. [80%] (23/10/2015)

The archaism of spoken language as a counterpoint to the language of film. Both Shakespeare and Kurzel tell their own stories, but they fit together like few others. If I hadn’t known "Macbeth" from school, the protagonists would have talked a hole into my head. However, you can take Arkapaw's images anywhere, print them on a large format and hang them in galleries. (07/12/2016)

I can't help it, but if I hadn't seen this movie first, it probably wouldn't compel me to watch Shakespeare's tragedies at the theater. It has everything that this play should have, but at the same time, it's unbelievably audience-unfriendly, so I didn't enjoy watching it, despite the presence of my favorite actors. (21/02/2016)

A raw and bleak hypnotic film that will forever remain out of the mainstream. Audience-averse and psychedelic, the film lyrically tells the story of Shakepeare's warrior exclusively through breathtaking cinematography, lighting and period music. Forget about a wartime historical spectacle or crowd scenes, the Kurzel brothers have gone all out. There are only a few action scenes, and most of them are shrouded in a mysterious misty shroud, or thanks to the aforementioned lighting work that creates countless breathtaking shots. The individuality of this film is impossible to deny. What is debatable, however, is to what extent this is an appropriate form of presentation of Shakespeare's legend, as in many aspects of the plot and in terms of the flow of the story, it is questionable to say the least and difficult to digest. (08/11/2015)