Michael Fassbender as Macbeth is an unstoppable force of nature; ferocious and ambitious, aided and abetted by his wife
—the charismatic Marion Cotillard, whose Lady Macbeth is both powerful and intriguingly nuanced. A prologue with the Macbeths at the funeral of their child humanizes and contextualizes the emotional subtext of the couple. Soon after, we are on the battlefield, medieval broadswords slashing and clanging, silhouettes against a dark sky, the air punctured with fiery sparks. Director Jason Kurzel creates an atmosphere of high drama and underlying violence and treachery that never lets up; throughout, a dynamic score pushes the drama and emotion of the tale. Visually breathtaking, this confident, dynamic rendition of the Scottish play doffs its cap to the
Game of Thrones generation as it evokes the essence of a medieval, almost supernatural Scotland racked by class strife, infighting, and superstition, yet tempered by an underscoring of occasional poignance that disarms and surprises.
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