Macbeth (2015)

UK Release Date: 2nd October 2015

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself (www.imdb.com).

Director: Justin Kurzel 

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, David Thewlis, Sean Harris

William Shakespeare's style of writing, whether its reading chapters in his books, or listening to dialogue in the umpteenth telling of Macbeth, makes me feel stupid. Thankfully the story of Macbeth has been told plenty enough times to understand what's going on, and everyone in this 2015 telling more than make up for its insolence. The story as a whole is dark, horrifying and wicked. Macbeth, played by the impeccably flawed Fassbender, loses the plot when his wife, the sinister, manipulative Marion Cotillard, pushes him to kill the king of Scotland (David Thewlis). There's one battle Macbeth cannot win, and that's against the demons (or witches, in this case) that continually torment him. There are hints of Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings in there, dappling into the realms of fantasy through the eyes of Macbeth. This is gritty, dark stuff from director Justin Kerzel, a Shakespeare adaption that's not as hard to digest as originally thought.

4/5