Orson Welles? Roman Polanski? Akira Kurosawa? Nah, the best ever cinematic adaptation of Macbeth is Justin Kurzel's. Yes, his gritty, battle-hardened take on the Scottish Play is just that good. Or should that really be Scottish Film? Because what really makes this version stand out from the rest of the Shakespearean pack is its indelible balance of faithfulness to the Bard's text and lack of compromise when transferring it to the big screen. This is both as accurate a tale as possible - we're in 11th Century Scotland, with the heavy dialogue delivered in thick accents - while also not afraid to make alteration to better fit the medium - there's massive brutal, bloody action beats throughout and the central duo now have sex while plotting regicide. The result is something that is visually resplendent as it is verbal, lending modern readings to the story (Macbeth is suffering from PTSD) without dulling what Bill originally intended; we're not on a stuffy soundstage doing something that could be transferred to the Globe with a bit of altering to the blocking - this is a film, through and through. That's not to say it doesn't deliver in the necessary areas; the acting is, of course, top notch, likewise providing twists and convention; Michael Fassbender's Macbeth is more immediately ruined than conventional takes, but he still manages to sell the descent, while Marion Cotillard's Lady Macbeth is highly sympathetic. Read the full review here.
