X
Close Ad
SummaryA Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.
Directed By: Joel Coen
Written By: Joel Coen, William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Macbeth
7.0
My Score
Hover and click to give a ratingSaved
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
SummaryA Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.
Directed By: Joel Coen
Written By: Joel Coen, William Shakespeare
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal AcclaimBased on 49 Critic Reviews
87
96% Positive
47 Reviews
47 Reviews
4% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
Metascore
Universal AcclaimBased on 49 Critic Reviews
87
96% Positive
47 Reviews
47 Reviews
4% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
Jan 18, 2022
This is acting at its purest, designed to communicate and enlighten an audience in search of answers. Either through visual and verbal dexterity, or blood-curdling physicality and audible androgyny, this play still has much to teach people about the power of cinema.
Sep 24, 2021
The movie hits its stride immediately with a taut, athletic urgency and it contains some superb images – particularly the eerie miracle of Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane, with Malcolm’s soldiers holding tree-branches over their heads in a restricted forest path and turning themselves into a spectacular river of boughs. This is a black-and-white world of violence and pain that scorches the retina.
User Score
Generally FavorableBased on 141 User Ratings
7.0
73% Positive
103 Ratings
103 Ratings
20% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
7% Negative
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
User Score
Generally FavorableBased on 141 User Ratings
7.0
73% Positive
103 Ratings
103 Ratings
20% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
7% Negative
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
Sep 24, 2021
A gorgeous black-and-white film that harkens back to several cinematic eras, Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth twists an old tale just enough to keep it fresh, but relies on tremendous lead performances by Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand to make the familiar feel exciting.
Dec 23, 2021
Stripping “Macbeth” for parts, keeping the focus on the main narrative lines of political assassination and what Macbeth himself refers to as “supernatural soliciting,” Coen turns out to be ideally suited to a straight-ahead, let’s-get-on-with-it rendition.
Jan 18, 2022
What lingers in the mind after this version of The Tragedy of Macbeth is not specific line deliveries or bravura acting moments—although the cast all acquit themselves well—but images and sounds.
Jan 3, 2022
Macbeth may be among the Bard’s weakest popular plays (opinion is, of course, divided) but this is one of the better cinematic conversions.
Jan 3, 2022
The over-all effect is of a striving toward a high style that isn’t achieved—and that undercuts the mighty import of the play.
Sep 5, 2022
Good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report
Feb 28, 2022
The Tragedy of Macbeth is an absolutely beautiful looking film, filled with many shots that left me stunned. The minimalistic production design along with the black and white pallet serve this story very well, creating a new perspective for this classic tale. While I can appreciate everything here from a filmmaking perspective, I just can't ever fully get into Shakespeare and find it hard to connect with the story.
Report
Feb 4, 2022
The Tragedies of MacbethA new adaption of Macbeth is going to have incredibly high expectations, especially one with Joel Coen as director and award-winning actors. Coen created an eerie new world of Macbeth through making a complete black and white film. Color in a film is helpful to differentiate between different characters, emotions and overall scenery. It can also highlight symbolism. I understand the idea of using black and white to further symbolize differences between light and darkness, but it made the film more confusing. Due to the lack of color in this film, I often felt overwhelmed and confused about what was happening, despite having read the play. This artistic choice makes me think that this film would be difficult for a newcomer to Macbeth to enjoy and understand fully. I think many people would be turned away from watching this film if they did not have prior experience with Macbeth. Does Coen not want future generations to experience the story of Macbeth? If I had not read the play recently, the language would be even more difficult to understand on screen. The actors tended to perform their lines with a very monotone delivery which made the language even more difficult to understand (I’m looking at you, Denzel Washington!) However, some performances stood out- particularly Kathryn Hunter as the witch. She contorts herself in one scene and becomes extremely creepy in another. I think her performance was the best in the film, even compared to Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Overall, I give this film a C due to the confusing artistic choices that made watching it difficult and unenjoyable.
Report
Aug 31, 2025
I don’t even know where to start because this thing seriously pissed me off. Macbeth as a tragedy is pure gold. But this is not an adaptation. This is literally just a beautiful audiobook with stunning visuals. Someone sat down, copy-pasted the original text (written in verse), called it a screen play, gave it to actors, and pressed record. And that’s supposed to be a film adaptation. Excuse me, but that’s not writing. That’s a complete misunderstanding of what it means to adapt a story from one medium to another.This film didn’t have to be modern, but it did need a vision. An interpretation. Something of its own. Anything! But there’s nothing. No soul, no emotion, no real understanding of the characters, just cold, stiff, lifeless recital. The only things that work here are the visuals, the cinematography is stunning, minimalist, with powerful use of light and shadow. And Frances McDormand. She’s a force of nature. I love her endlessly. She was the only reason I didn’t turn this film off halfway through. Denzel didn’t work for me here. I didn’t feel his Macbeth as a tragic man. He felt distant, like even he didn’t know where he was or why he was doing what he was **** is an adaptation with zero imagination. You don’t have to “modernize” Shakespeare to make it cinematic, but you do have to translate it into the language of cinema somehow. And this is like someone trying to tell you a poem using a PowerPoint presentation. If I wanted to listen to an audiobook I would go on bookmate not on random illegal internet site…
Report
Production Company
- A24
- IAC Films
Release DateDec 25, 2021
Duration1 h 45 m
RatingR