The Tragedy of Macbeth

In his first film without his brother Ethan, Joel Coen adapts Shakespeare's Scottish play with a skilful, gothic touch. Set in a world of shadows, the film stars Denzel Washington as the Thane of Glamis and Frances McDormand the deranged Lady Macbeth. Alongside them are Brendan Gleeson as King Duncan and Bertie Carvel as Banquo, while veteran stage actor Kathryn Hunter is outstanding as all three witches, which are portrayed as part Gollum, part Death from The Seventh Seal. Washington and McDormand are both hugely compelling, but most striking is the monochrome cinematography. As Coen trades sweeping battlefields for small-scale sets, nods to classic expressionist cinema give The Tragedy of Macbeth a nightmarish, insular feel. Macbeth has ruled on screen many times, yet Coen's film - which trims the original text to a taut 105 minutes - succeeds by not setting out to be the definitive adaptation, but rather something entirely unique.