Macbeth (2015) ★★★★★

It’s difficult to recommend Macbeth. Not because it isn’t a good film, but because it’s a great one. It’s so faithful to the source material, and so relentless in its tone, that it’s both spot-on and potentially too obtuse for the wider audience.

Of course, that fault lies with the audience, not the film.

Michael Fassbender plays the titular character and Marion Cotillard the Lady, in what amounts to quite the gritty retelling of the Shakespearean classic. Both performances are as perfect as one would expect from the two leads; in fact, everyone is fantastic throughout, from Sean Harris’ Macduff to Paddy Considine’s Banquo.

Now, Shakespeare was a master of prose more than he was of storytelling. So it’s refreshing to watch an adaptation of his that actually uses his writing; the dialogue is lifted straight from the source. First of all, this means that the film is actually worth making at all (Macbeth is hardly the most complicated story nor has it not received enough attention already) but secondly, it actually recreates the very tone the original intended. However, it might be hard for some audiences to feel particularly engaged as a result. When “full of scorpions is my mind” is the most easy-to-understand line of dialogue, it does make it difficult to immerse oneself. That doesn’t stop the dialogue from being utterly brilliant, mind.

The only criticism I can really throw at Macbeth is that, due to a lengthier play being shortened to just two hours, a couple of important moments feel rushed. Without spoiling the story (though you’ve had since 1611 to catch up) Lady Macbeth’s famous story arc feels very brushed over; one moment she’s feeling guilty via monologue and the next that arc is over. There isn’t even a “rubbing the hands of red” sequence. Perhaps for newcomers this won’t have too much of an impact, but I suspect it’ll still jar a little.

So, is Macbeth worth seeing? Well despite saying it’s hard to recommend, I do so heartily. The acting is too stellar, the cinematography too beautiful and even the fight scenes too gloriously brutal yet artistic to do anything except encourage people to watch it, whether it’s their sort of film or not. The language may be dense and you might be very aware of exactly how uncomfortable you are in your cinema seat, but you’ll walk away knowing that this was a very, very good film.