A 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.A 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.A 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.
- Director
- Writers
- Joel Coen(written for the screen by)
- William Shakespeare(based on the play by)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Joel Coen(written for the screen by)
- William Shakespeare(based on the play by)
- Stars
Coming soon
Releases January 14, 2022
- Awards
- 11 wins & 76 nominations
Videos6
- Director
- Writers
- Joel Coen(written for the screen by)
- William Shakespeare(based on the play by)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
A 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.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated R for violence
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThe first solo directorial effort by Joel Coen. All of his previous films have been co-directed by his brother Ethan Coen, though Ethan was uncredited as director until 2004.
- GoofsWhen Banquo and Fleance prepare to leave, Macbeth tells them their horses are ready. But Denzel Washington gets the line backwards. He says, "I commend them to your backs," instead of "I commend you to their backs." He speaks of plural horses, but in the next shot, Fleance is riding the only horse, and Banquo is walking.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Graham Norton Show: Episode #29.14 (2022)
Top review
A classy contribution to the best movie of the year.
Joel Coen, sans brother Ethan after about eighteen collaborative ventures, triumphs with his new Tragedy of Macbeth. Coen keeps essential lines (it is Shakespeare's shortest play anyway) and doesn't let the magnificent set design overpower the first-rate performances.
While Denzel Washington as Macbeth lacks the grace and sonority of Olivier or Fassbender, he is the appropriately weary wearer of the heavy crown. He plays Macbeth right by being vigorous before he slays Duncan but drained after. He refrains less from being henpecked to accepting his Lady's (Frances McDormand, Coen's wife) advice through her twisted logic and, famously, the witches' supernatural, duplicitous urging.
Like Welles's Othello, he is a military man who follows the logic of defense and destiny. Once committed to a cause, blind obedience to fate is the only route. Like Colin Powell, he is wrong and fate will brook no other route than infamy.
For her part, Lady Macbeth is more into working it with a slow force that makes them more a business team than a tag team. The stark, minimalistic set design, with its Wellesean towering ceilings, sharp edges, bare walls, and menacing bright and dark interiors punctuated by light shafts that concentrate evil on its protagonist, has the power and purity of an avenging angel, a lonely film-noir ambience tracking the road to dusty death.
The lighting and 1.19:1 aspect ratio, almost square, echo the stark, unrelenting world of Dreyer, Bergman, and Welles' 1948 Macbeth cinema.
The iambic pentameter and its accompanying perfect wording are there, and you may miss some, but, hey, he's civilization's greatest writer. Washington's contribution is making this rich language clear and comprehensible. The words of Tomorrow and Tomorrow resonate today for, say, leaders who at the end realize their greatness is an illusion trampled by relentlessly-marching time.
A classy contribution to the best movies of 2021 and Shakespeare's glorious tragedies.
While Denzel Washington as Macbeth lacks the grace and sonority of Olivier or Fassbender, he is the appropriately weary wearer of the heavy crown. He plays Macbeth right by being vigorous before he slays Duncan but drained after. He refrains less from being henpecked to accepting his Lady's (Frances McDormand, Coen's wife) advice through her twisted logic and, famously, the witches' supernatural, duplicitous urging.
Like Welles's Othello, he is a military man who follows the logic of defense and destiny. Once committed to a cause, blind obedience to fate is the only route. Like Colin Powell, he is wrong and fate will brook no other route than infamy.
For her part, Lady Macbeth is more into working it with a slow force that makes them more a business team than a tag team. The stark, minimalistic set design, with its Wellesean towering ceilings, sharp edges, bare walls, and menacing bright and dark interiors punctuated by light shafts that concentrate evil on its protagonist, has the power and purity of an avenging angel, a lonely film-noir ambience tracking the road to dusty death.
The lighting and 1.19:1 aspect ratio, almost square, echo the stark, unrelenting world of Dreyer, Bergman, and Welles' 1948 Macbeth cinema.
The iambic pentameter and its accompanying perfect wording are there, and you may miss some, but, hey, he's civilization's greatest writer. Washington's contribution is making this rich language clear and comprehensible. The words of Tomorrow and Tomorrow resonate today for, say, leaders who at the end realize their greatness is an illusion trampled by relentlessly-marching time.
A classy contribution to the best movies of 2021 and Shakespeare's glorious tragedies.
helpful•54
- jdesando
- Jan 2, 2022
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Macbeth
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $362,987
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Recently viewed
Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.