Shakespeare’s original version 400 years ago was a 5 act play that went on for hours. Director Joel Cohen’s new version is a trim 1 hour and 45 minutes that moves along at a pace commensurate with today’s abbreviated attention spans. And though I’ve seen other stage adaptations of the Tragedy of Macbeth, I can’t say, without going back to look, whether Cohen’s gorgeously filmed and impeccably acted take is missing anything important. The most significant change is that Coen’s King and Lady (Frances MacDormand)Macbeth are older.
I’ve been lucky to have seen many, many world class Shakespeare productions at the famed Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC over twenty years. That said, I am just a poorly educated rube from Fort Worth, Texas – and so I always go to Wikipedia to read the entire plot before I see a Shakespeare film or play, because I’d rather have spoilers than sit with my mouth open, wondering what the hell is going on.
A24/Apple TV+ 
A24/Apple TV+
So, read the plot points first if you like, then sit back and soak up Denzel Washington doing a brawny, wide-legged warrior who, at his wife’s urging, kills a king to become a king, but doesn’t ever really enjoy his status and this is not an “all’s well that ends well’” joint from The Bard.
The stark black and white photography and sparse sound stagey sets (with some gorgeous outdoor scenes, too) is a visual splendor and the Iambic pentameter dialog, which can sound like Dr. Seuss in the wrong hands, is delivered with an appropriate amount of naturalism and forcefulness. Washington crushes everything he touches and he has long known his Shakespeare.
If you know it, you’ll love it – if you’re scared of it-take it from a dummy like me: just read through before you hit play and you’ll dig it. Betrayal, murder, and politics – what’s not to love?
The Tragedy of Macbeth isi now streaming on AppleTV+
