With the 2006 MacBeth, controversial Australian director Geoffrey Wright (Romper Stomper, Metal Skin) launches his fourth big screen outing and continues the trend of reinventing Shakespeare by contemporizing the bard's plays. As in other recent efforts (Richard Loncraine's Richard III (1996), Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (2000)), Wright uses a distinctly postmodern context to extract related themes from the original work. Here, Wright reworks the brutal tragedy Macbeth, retaining its Elizabethan
dialogue, but resituating the events within the arena of modern Australian gang violence. His Macbeth (Sam Worthington) is a drug baron and pimp, his Lady Macbeth a Valium-addicted, narcoleptic burnout and manipulator, his Duncan the head of Melbourne's criminal underground. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth murder Duncan in cold blood (framing the servants as responsible), but soon after Macbeth takes the throne, he is undone - and beheaded - by usurper Macduff. Like former adapter Roman Polanski, Wright ups the quotients of bloodletting, sadism, and underlying iciness. He filmed much of the picture with HD photography - thus capturing a broader range of imagery and a much blacker darkness in his nighttime sequences - and lit a pivotal action scene exclusively with red laser gun sights. The result is a thoroughly unique and unprecedented work. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
This Macbeth is true to the ugly-hearted original. No one is redeemed by gore, or absolved of madness. Nor do lines sound any less sublime when channeled through underlings and overlords.
The play's power has been diluted by questionable editing, an overload of blandly stylized violence and the conspicuous suspicion that this whole thing is the predictable result of catering to base commercial instincts.
There are good performances, smart direction and dark-hued photography that's impressive. But it would be surprising if this Macbeth were to bring people back to Shakespeare proper, as it intends.
Sadly, the delivery does not always match the magnificence of Shakespeare's words and the film relies much too heavily on brutal violence for its drama.
Ultimately, though, it's just a load of sound and fury, indifferently played by a Neighbours-lite cast and fatally compromised by graphic violence that makes Roman Polanski's 1971 version seem tame by comparison. Strewth...
This Aussie new version of William Shakespeare's savage tale at the 21st century gangland is familiar to the epic movie classics with the characters and acting scenes.
April 8, 2007
Dean McKenna
Super Reviewer
While often campy and not too recognizable as an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic thriller, the contemperary gangster film incarnation of "Macbeth" does have its moments of being tense and compelling and holds strong characters, a notable and cool soundtrack and I believe to be an intense and rather satisfying
conclusion. However, as I've stated, the film is slow at points and presents itself more as a gangster film than a recreation of "Macbeth". As for the edgier parts, some violence and nudity is inappropriate, though not as gratuitous or relied upon as the critics would have you believe. (Especially when you're comparing to Polanski's version) Ultimately, Geoffrey Wright's "Macbeth" makes for a better general film than it does a modern take on the classic story, but still makes for a cool time-killer.
No quotes approved yet for Macbeth. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Macbeth'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
