The Blood Soaked Tapestry of Macbeth

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2015)

Michael Fassbender can play any role you give him. Honest. 'Macbeth' is just further proof of that. Based on Shakespeare's play of the same name, 'Macbeth' is the tale of a man consumed by greed and power who murders his own king so that he can claim the throne for himself.
'Macbeth' is not my type of film and yet I found myself won over, in spite of its notable pacing issues which drastically slow the film down in its second act. It's the high calibre of acting that works so well here. Fassbender consumes himself in the role and equally impressive is Marion Cotillard who plays his wife. Watching them hatch their plot and crumble when it fails is riveting. There are even a couple of bloody battles that bookend the film and for my money are worth the price of admission alone.
Still I haven't mentioned the powerful poetic dialogue. Yes it is Shakespearean dialect and by its very nature is hard to understand and grasp at times. But in a strange way that makes it all the more interesting to watch and given time it grows on you and you come to appreciate the film for everything that it does right. Is this a faithful adaptation? Having had no previous knowledge about the play I could not say. Yet I know it's a fine and well-crafted film.
'Macbeth' is a dark tale and as such the score in the film reflects that. Jed Kurzel brings a sad and symbolic soundtrack that signifies what power does to men and how it turns what was once good and pure into evil. From a visual standpoint 'Macbeth' is a sure fire winner. It possesses a cinematic beauty to it, one that the medium of television would be unable to bring forward.
'Macbeth' is a poignant tale of a good man gone evil. If the dialogue is hard to understand at times and the pacing brings up issues it rarely matters; because the film is far often than not engrossing and Fassbender does justice to the source material. All Hail Macbeth!