--- title: "The Tragedy of Macbeth" year: 2021 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth" fi1m_id: "the-tragedy-of-macbeth" imdb_id: "tt10095582" tmdb_id: 591538 wikidata_id: "Q84693711" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 28 published: "2026-09-22T21:00:24.212986+00:00" updated: "2026-09-22T21:00:33.391053+00:00" region: "SI" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) Directed by Joel Coen · 1h 45m · Drama ## Identity The Tragedy of Macbeth - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-tragedy-of-macbeth - **IMDb ID:** tt10095582 - **TMDB ID:** 591538 - **Wikidata ID:** Q84693711 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10095582/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/591538, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q84693711 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 82 from 28 reviews *In a sentence:* Three witches in one crooked body, and a nightmare that keeps its house in order > Joel Coen’s black-and-white Macbeth is spare, fast and often frightening, and Kathryn Hunter’s witches are the best thing we have seen in a Shakespeare film for years. It is colder at the centre than it should be, and we recommend it anyway. ## Synopsis Scotland, in fog. Macbeth (Denzel Washington) and Banquo (Bertie Carvel), generals in the army of King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson), are walking home from a won battle when a bent, croaking figure on the heath (Kathryn Hunter) tells them Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and then king, and that Banquo will father kings. Within the hour the first part comes true. Duncan names his son Malcolm (Harry Melling) his heir and announces he will spend the night at Macbeth’s castle at Inverness. Macbeth writes ahead to his wife (Frances McDormand), who reads the letter by the fire and has decided before he is home what must happen to their guest. Macbeth is older than the part is usually played, and he knows it: this is his last chance at the thing he has been promised. ## Review Joel Coen has made this one without his brother Ethan, and he has cut Shakespeare’s play down to 105 minutes, shot it in black and white on soundstages and boxed it into the old square ratio. It is the plainest [*Macbeth*](https://film.one/film/macbeth) we have seen and one of the most frightening. Its one real fault is that it is colder than it should be, and we will come to that. Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand play the Macbeths old. Not as people who have spent years wanting the crown but as people who have run out of years to want it in. Washington speaks the verse as if it were conversation, low and unhurried, and lets the famous lines arrive without a run-up; the dagger speech is done almost to himself, as a man checking his own eyesight. McDormand’s Lady Macbeth is dry and practical, a woman making arrangements, and she is at her best in the letter scene, reading her husband’s news and settling the matter before he is through the door. What she is not is frightening. The play asks something of her later that this performance does not quite have in reserve. The witches are one woman. Kathryn Hunter plays all three, and on her first appearance on the heath she does it with a single body, bending her arms back at the elbow until they look like folded wings and dropping her voice to a croak. Bruno Delbonnel shoots her from low and reflects her in a pool of standing water so that for a moment there are three of her. We were unnerved in a way Shakespeare films almost never manage, and it was Hunter who did it, because she does not play a witch. She plays something that has learned to imitate a person and not quite got it right. Every scene she is in, the film is better. Stefan Dechant’s Inverness is not a castle anyone could live in. The walls are blank plaster, the arches go up out of frame, the corridors lead to more corridors, and there is almost no furniture. Delbonnel lights it with hard white through high windows and fills the outdoors with fog and skies with nothing in them. Mary Zophres dresses everyone in dark wool with no ornament, so a crown or a blade is the brightest thing in the shot. Carter Burwell’s score is mostly a slow knock, a drum or a heartbeat, with strings under it, and it has the sense to stop dead when a door is about to open. Coen and Lucian Johnston cut it fast; scenes end on the line rather than after it, and the whole thing moves like a thriller. The coldness is the price. Killings happen in this film as if they were being described rather than done, cleanly, in shadow, with the blood kept to a minimum, and after a while we wanted someone to lose their temper. Some of the supporting cast oblige. Corey Hawkins’s Macduff and Moses Ingram’s Lady Macduff have the rawest scenes in the film. Bertie Carvel’s Banquo is warm and easy and the only man here who seems to like Macbeth. Brendan Gleeson’s Duncan is a tired, decent king who deserves a better host. Coen also keeps Alex Hassell’s Ross in the corner of nearly every room, watching, and pays that off late in a way we will not describe and did not expect. Against other Macbeths it is the tidiest. Orson Welles made his in 1948 out of fog and cardboard; Roman Polanski’s 1971 film is the bloody one and stays bloody; Justin Kurzel’s 2015 version put Michael Fassbender in real mud on a real hillside. Coen’s trusts the words most and the weather least. Against his own films, it is the least funny thing he has put his name to. There are no fools here talking themselves into a hole, and we missed them a little. It is a 15 certificate and 105 minutes, and the verse has been cut and spoken so plainly that you could follow it never having read a word of the play. Watch it in a dark room with the sound up; Delbonnel’s whites go grey on a bright afternoon and Burwell’s knock needs to be felt in the chest. Keep an eye on the crows. They are hers as well. *Fi1m score 80, published 22 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics admire this Macbeth, and the praise gathers in the same places. The reviews return again and again to the black-and-white photography, the bare soundstage sets and the square frame, and to the decision to cast Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as an older, wearier couple. Washington’s performance is repeatedly called among his best, and Kathryn Hunter’s unsettling turn as all three witches is picked out so often it amounts to a second consensus. The reservations cluster around temperature. A run of otherwise warm notices find the film clinically efficient, a little bloodless, short on the sound and fury the play promises, and a few miss the usual Coen wit. The spread is narrow, with most scores sitting between 75 and 100. The clear dissenter is The New Yorker, which finds the adaptation sanitised and its grandeur reduced to petulance, while Paste argues the restrained performances never manage the descent into madness the part demands. ## Straight answers **Is The Tragedy of Macbeth worth watching?** *The Tragedy of Macbeth* is worth watching for anyone who wants Shakespeare spoken plainly and cut to move like a thriller, and we scored it 80. Joel Coen's black-and-white version is spare, fast and often frightening, with Kathryn Hunter's witches the best thing in it. It is colder at the centre than it should be, and we recommend it anyway. **How long is The Tragedy of Macbeth, and what is it rated?** *The Tragedy of Macbeth* runs 1h 45m. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch The Tragedy of Macbeth in Slovenia?** *The Tragedy of Macbeth* is not on any streaming or rental service in Slovenia at the moment. It is available in 46 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is The Tragedy of Macbeth, and is it suitable for children?** *The Tragedy of Macbeth* is a 15 certificate, and its violence is kept clean, shadowed and mostly bloodless; the fear comes from Kathryn Hunter's witches, who unnerved us more than any Shakespeare film in years. It is not for young children, but older teenagers used to the play will find nothing gratuitous. The verse is cut and spoken so plainly that newcomers can follow it. **How does The Tragedy of Macbeth compare to Macbeth?** *The Tragedy of Macbeth* is the tidier and colder of the two, trusting the words most and the weather least, while Justin Kurzel's [*Macbeth*](https://film.one/film/macbeth) has the mud, blood and shouting Coen keeps off screen. Coen's is the better made and the more frightening; Kurzel's has the rawer central couple and makes ambition feel bound up with grief. Choose Coen for the verse, Kurzel for the feeling. **What should I watch after The Tragedy of Macbeth?** After *The Tragedy of Macbeth*, try [*Macbeth*](https://film.one/film/macbeth) (2015, Fi1m 77): Justin Kurzel’s version has the mud, blood and shouting Coen keeps off screen. Then [*The Seventh Seal*](https://film.one/film/the-seventh-seal) (1957, Fi1m 88): Bergman’s black-and-white plague film, where death also arrives as a plain-spoken visitor; and [*The Man Who Wasn't There*](https://film.one/film/the-man-who-wasnt-there) (2001, Fi1m 81): The Coens’ other monochrome film: a quiet man, a bad idea, and consequences. ### Reviews we read (28) - **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (5/5): The critic calls Coen's first solo film astonishing and as cold and weird and lucid as a waking dream, praising its pristine monochrome photography, angular sets and the lead performances of Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as they trace the couple's tragic falls. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/tragedy-macbeth-review-denzel-washingtons-tortured-king-crowns/) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★★): The critic hails Coen's take as an ingenious triumph and the perfect cinematic Shakespeare, praising how it cuts lines, foregrounds visuals and deploys horror-movie techniques to make the play better, with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand both on astoundingly good form at their characters' advanced ages. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-film-review-b0f0b6vrv) - **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (90/100, inferred): The critic hails it as one of the best films of the year, an airily elegant black-and-white nightmare blending Bergman and horror influences that feels lush and compelling rather than laborious. The fresh spin from the mature leads' chemistry and the mournful, exhilarating drama are praised as making the tragedy deeply felt. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-movie-review-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-b960770.html) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic finds Joel Coen's austere black-and-white reimagining compelling and visually brilliant, with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand hitting top form in a stark monochrome nightmare that frames the drama in theatrical, stylised ways. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/24/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-joel-coen-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (90/100, inferred): A first-rate cast and stunning craftsmanship bring surging vitality to this raw, lucid retelling, rendered spellbinding by its enveloping stylized design and masterful black-and-white visuals. The lead performances rank among the actors' best. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/denzel-washington-and-frances-mcdormand-in-joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth-1235019949/) - **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a towering achievement and existential thriller of strange and potent beauty, praising the dazzling acting prowess of Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand alongside strong supporting turns. The noirish black-and-white visuals and pared-down mythic approach are singled out for creating a claustrophobic, theatrical nightmare quality. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-cinema-release-apple-tv-date-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-joel-coen-1365709) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic's Pick): The critic praises Joel Coen's crackling, dagger-sharp adaptation as a triumph of casting centered on Denzel Washington's astonishing performance as Macbeth. The stark black-and-white visuals and desolation effectively convey the play's themes. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/movies/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-denzel-washington.html) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (89/100, inferred): The critic hails Denzel Washington's commanding performance in Joel Coen's visually transporting and ravishing Shakespeare adaptation. The fleet, light-spirited take seduces with its noirish and operatic style despite the darkness. [Read](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-joel-coen-1235073127/) - **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (85/100, inferred): The critic praises this sparse, stripped-down adaptation as a visually stunning tour de force with extraordinary black-and-white cinematography and theatrical yet fantastical production design. The performances, especially Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, and Kathryn Hunter as the witches, are highlighted as compelling and terrifying. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth/) - **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B+): Denzel Washington delivers one of the best performances of his career in this dreamy Shakespeare noir, but Kathryn Hunter gives the film its witchy magic as the three witches. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-denzel-washington-1234667006/) - **The AV Club**, Jesse Hassenger (B+): Joel Coen’s solo effort is a striking, visually virtuosic adaptation with stark black-and-white style and strong performances from an older Washington and McDormand; it excels as one of the best-looking films of the year but lacks some of the usual Coen wit. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/a-coen-brother-goes-solo-with-help-from-denzel-and-sha-1848256764) - **Film Comment**, Imogen Sara Smith (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Joel Coen's stark, stylized black-and-white adaptation for capturing the play's pace, lyricism, and bleakness while hewing closely to the text and emphasizing motifs like blood and fate. Kathryn Hunter's unsettling performance as the witches is singled out as the standout element amid some minor quibbles about overly pristine digital imagery. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/some-desolate-shade/) - **Little White Lies**, Charles Bramesco (5/4/4): Joel Coen’s solo directorial debut finds a fresh angle on the Shakespeare staple by peering into the past for aesthetic cues and tapping into its lineage of gorgeous artifice. The stark black-and-white photography, boxy Academy ratio, and spartan soundstage sets create a visceral, haunted, and severe vision that reinvigorates the text through technical virtuosity. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth) - **Radio Times**, Max Copeman (4/5): In his first film without his brother Ethan, Joel Coen adapts Shakespeare’s Scottish play with a skilful, gothic touch in a world of shadows. Washington and McDormand are hugely compelling, but most striking is the monochrome cinematography that gives the film a nightmarish, insular feel through small-scale sets and expressionist nods. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-tqeb7t/the-tragedy-of-macbeth/) - **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): The film is essentially a showcase for Denzel Washington’s phenomenal, introspective performance as an older Macbeth driven by nihilism rather than mere ambition, with Kathryn Hunter’s virtuoso turn as the witches providing the standout support. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-is-denzel-washington-at-his-best.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (78/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an immaculate, coldly efficient and aesthetically faultless vision with splendid acting, particularly from Kathryn Hunter as the witches. It distills the play tightly but could use more blood and raw intensity. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-12-23/tragedy-of-macbeth-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-joel-coen-shakespeare) - **Screen Daily** (77/100, inferred): With standout performances by Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, expert imagery and striking production design, Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth is hardly a tale told by an idiot but could use a little more sound and fury. Defiantly uncompromising in its rich black-and-white cinematography and boxy 1.33:1 ratio, the film hits arthouse touchstones yet feels less Macbeth than Macbeckett in its existential wasteland design. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-nyff-review/5163605.article) - **Sight and Sound** (75/100, inferred): Joel Coen’s pared-down approach to Macbeth can at times feel a bit bloodless, but its bare black-and-white artistry brings out feeling in unexpected ways. The film embraces bold physical artifice of the stage with stark soundstages, angular shadows, and elemental monochrome imagery. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/tragedy-macbeth-forgoes-medieval-dankness-stark-claustrophobic-adaptation) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (★★★): Joel Coen’s first solo film is a dazzling, sombre, unsettling and often gloriously strange monochrome version of Macbeth that changes the meaning of the label 'theatrical' from a bad word. It is short, sharp and wild, a visual feast served with enormous respect for Shakespeare’s words despite trimming the text for a vertiginous pace. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-2021) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (30/100, inferred): The critic finds Coen's stripped-down adaptation overly sanitized and normalized, reducing grandeur to petulance and failing to achieve a high style that matches the play's import. Supporting performances by the Macduff family provide rare moments of passion amid the overall restraint. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-reviewed-joel-coens-sanitized-shakespeare) - **/Film**, Hoai-Tran Bui (9.5/10): The critic praises Joel Coen's stark, expressionistic black-and-white take on the Shakespeare play as a modern, minimalist, and cynical masterwork. Washington and McDormand deliver ferocious, weary performances that anchor the film's striking visuals and tragic descent. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/615171/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-denzel-washington-and-frances-mcdormand-cut-a-bloody-swathe-through-joel-coens-expressionist-nightmare/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A-): The critic praises Joel Coen's solo directorial effort for its stunning black-and-white visuals and strong performances, particularly from Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. He highlights the film's surrealism and thoughtful casting as reasons it stands out among other Macbeth adaptations. [Read](https://collider.com/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-joel-coen/) - **Deadline**, Valerie Complex (87/100, inferred): The critic finds Coen's solo directorial effort a masterful blend of stage and screen elements that creates an otherworldly, surrealist vision of the Scottish play. It singles out the production design, lighting, and strong central performances for praise while noting the film's departure from the Coen brothers' usual style. [Read](https://deadline.com/print-article/1234843836?KeepThis=1&TB_iframe=1&height=500&width=750) - **Consequence** (B+): The critic commends the film's striking black-and-white visuals and dreamlike quality on a soundstage, along with the strong performances from Washington and McDormand as older Macbeths. It describes it as a terrific addition to the Shakespeare canon despite some chilliness. [Read](https://consequence.net/2021/09/tragedy-of-macbeth-review-joel-coen/) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4/5): The critic hails Joel Coen's solo directorial effort as one of the best Shakespeare adaptations, praising its haunting meditative tone, expressionistic black-and-white visuals, and the authoritative performances of Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as the ambitious Macbeths. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/denzel-washington-great-tragedy-of-macbeth-review/) - **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (80/100, inferred): The critic appreciates Joel Coen's faithful yet visually innovative adaptation, noting its noir-ish aesthetic and the powerful performances, especially McDormand's. He sees it as a bold, defamiliarizing take that blends theatrical and cinematic elements effectively. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2021/12/22/movies/tragedy-of-macbeth-review-coen-brothers-denzel-washington) - **The Wrap** (77/100, inferred): The critic describes Coen's stark, nightmarish black-and-white vision as a bracing cinematic plunge featuring dazzling performances, especially from Washington and McDormand, and modernist sets that enhance the square aspect ratio. It notes a quibble that the film remains clinically efficient without raising the emotional temperature. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-film-review-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-2021/) - **Paste**, Natalia Keogan (7.0): The review notes the film's stark minimalism and artistic visuals but criticizes the restrained performances for lacking the manic emotion and descent into insanity expected in Macbeth. It concludes that while well-executed, it lacks the risk and reward of previous Coen works. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/joel-coen/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review) ## Details - **Director:** Joel Coen - **Director:** Joel Coen - **Screenplay:** Joel Coen - **Cinematography:** Bruno Delbonnel - **Editor:** Lucian Johnston, Joel Coen - **Music:** Carter Burwell - **Production design:** Stefan Dechant - **Costume design:** Mary Zophres - **Producer:** Frances McDormand, Joel Coen, Robert Graf - **Cast:** Denzel Washington as Macbeth; Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth; Alex Hassell as Ross; Bertie Carvel as Banquo; Brendan Gleeson as Duncan; Corey Hawkins as Macduff; Harry Melling as Malcolm; Miles Anderson as Lennox - **Runtime:** 1h 45m - **Release (Slovenia):** 14 January 2022 - **Genres:** Drama - **Box office:** $176,248 - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptqe7s6pO7g ## Where to watch in Slovenia Not streaming, renting or buying in Slovenia at the last check. Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Throne of Blood* (1957): Kurosawa moves the play to feudal Japan; the fog is thicker and the forest walks. - *Macbeth* (1948): Orson Welles on a shoestring, with cardboard castles and more atmosphere than money. - *Macbeth* (2015), Fi1m 77: Justin Kurzel’s version has the mud, blood and shouting Coen keeps off screen. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/macbeth.md) - *The Seventh Seal* (1957), Fi1m 88: Bergman’s black-and-white plague film, where death also arrives as a plain-spoken visitor. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-seventh-seal.md) - *The Man Who Wasn't There* (2001), Fi1m 81: The Coens’ other monochrome film: a quiet man, a bad idea, and consequences. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-man-who-wasnt-there.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth