The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.