Of the more than 90 screen versions of Shakespeare’s second-most-famous tragedy, this one, from 2015 and featuring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, is among the most cinematic. Suffused with first-half scene jumping, stunning visuals and blood-soaked action, this is clearly a movie, not a play. Most of the Bard’s verbiage doesn’t make it onto the screen, but the lines that do are faithful to the original, showing us the Scottish king’s ambition and cruelty as well as guilt, paranoia, madness and roughly 100 other heavy themes.
There’s nothing subtle here. Everything is supercharged and severe, with no time to recalibrate and catch your breath. Watch this with the subtitles on or miss brilliant wordplay and provocative subtext. And enjoy the acting. Despite the lack of tone shifts and a fiercely grim last act, Fassbender et al give powerful performances.