--- title: "The Tragedy of Macbeth: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 28 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): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 28 reviews: 25 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 5/5. 24 December 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. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/tragedy-macbeth-review-denzel-washingtons-tortured-king-crowns/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 24 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-film-review-b0f0b6vrv) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-movie-review-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-b960770.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/24/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-joel-coen-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](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 Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2021. 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 the review](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 Rating Critic's Pick. 22 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/movies/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-denzel-washington.html) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 89/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-joel-coen-1235073127/) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2021. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-denzel-washington-1234667006/) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating B+. 22 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-coen-brother-goes-solo-with-help-from-denzel-and-sha-1848256764) ## Film Comment — Imogen Sara Smith Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2022. 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 the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/some-desolate-shade/) ## Little White Lies — Charles Bramesco Rating 5/4/4. 14 January 2022. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth) ## Radio Times — Max Copeman Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-tqeb7t/the-tragedy-of-macbeth/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-is-denzel-washington-at-his-best.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-12-23/tragedy-of-macbeth-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-joel-coen-shakespeare) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 77/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-nyff-review/5163605.article) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/tragedy-macbeth-forgoes-medieval-dankness-stark-claustrophobic-adaptation) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating ★★★. 12 January 2022. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-2021) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-reviewed-joel-coens-sanitized-shakespeare) ## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui Rating 9.5/10. 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](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 Rating A-. 23 December 2021. 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 the review](https://collider.com/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review-joel-coen/) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex Fi1m's normalised score 87/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://deadline.com/print-article/1234843836?KeepThis=1&TB_iframe=1&height=500&width=750) ## Consequence Rating B+. 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2021/09/tragedy-of-macbeth-review-joel-coen/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4/5. 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/denzel-washington-great-tragedy-of-macbeth-review/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2021. 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 the review](https://www.theringer.com/2021/12/22/movies/tragedy-of-macbeth-review-coen-brothers-denzel-washington) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 77/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-film-review-denzel-washington-frances-mcdormand-2021/) ## Paste — Natalia Keogan Rating 7.0. 27 September 2021. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/joel-coen/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-tragedy-of-macbeth.md