Modernizations of Shakespeare are always a tricky affair. Ones that use the plot but not the dialogue (ie. West Side Story and O) tend to fare better than those that attempt the dialogue as well. Only Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet really shine in the latter category.
So, it's with no small amount of ambition that director Geoffrey Wright transports Macbeth from the Scottish moors to the Docklands of contemporary Melbourne. Macbeth and Macduff are drug-trading mobsters working under the command of crime boss, Duncan. Lady Macbeth is the trophy wife with a coke habit. So does it work?
Almost.
It gets off to a rather messy beginning with short, fragmented scenes inundated with characters and some blink-or-you'll-miss-it backstory. The film doesn't really hit its stride until Macbeth and his Lady invite Duncan to their house and the blood starts to flow. By this point, however, my attention was already beginning to wane and judgement was already being passed.
One of the major problems of the film is that what makes Macbeth so great on stage simply doesn't translate to film. Even Polanski's version never quite gets there. There are too many secondary characters that are too similar and they distract you from the main story Macbeth and his ambition a part of the film that gets surprisingly little screen time and never really develops any momentum or psychological crediblity.
Little snippets of scenes and character come across the screen so quickly and seem to have so little relevance that it becomes quite a frustrating watch. What should be an exciting, adrenaline pumping film (such as Wright's earlier film, Romper Stomper) becomes bogged down and the finale is anti-climactic and has no emotional resonance. One begins to wonder why they bothered to modernise the play or even tell it at all. The theme of murder begets murder doesn't really shine through and Macbeth never seems that ambitious nor do we see much difference in his circumstance as he begins his bloody rise. Maybe the film should have taken a few more chances or liberties with the text why you'd include the line "merciful heavens" after the announcement of one character's murder and not expect the audience to laugh is beyond me. At the very least, some deeper thought needed to be given to the modernising of the text. It seems a little too much like it's just been run through the "REPLACE" feature on Microsoft Word. Replace swords with guns. Witches with schoolgirls. Dread with campy hissing.
Sam Worthington brings his typical Aussie masculinity to the role and once he gets warmed up, does quite a fine job even though he has to compete with some rather odd costumes including a paisley leisure suit and a leather kilt that drew more than few titters from the audience. Victoria Hill as Lady Macbeth is also quite believable and her "come you spirits" monologue, delivered in voice over as she walks down the driveway to greet Duncan, is one of the film's finer moments. The actors who really shine are the ones you least expect though The Molloy brothers as Macbeth's semi-loyal henchmen nail it while Louis Corbett in the almost silent role of Macduff's son has a quiet intensity that much of the film sorely needs.
Stylistically, the film shines. It's probably the best use of HD I've seen so far with great colours and a strong, confident approach to the design think Scarface goes to Moulin Rouge as directed by Mario Bava. And one should applaud the film for its ambition. It's nice to see an Australian film really take some risks and try something different. But ultimately it's a hollow, unengaging experience that seems to be trying too hard to shock its audience and ends up boring them instead. Maybe they should play it alongside Book of Revelation as two films that should have rocked us but didn't. Disappointing.
So, it's with no small amount of ambition that director Geoffrey Wright transports Macbeth from the Scottish moors to the Docklands of contemporary Melbourne. Macbeth and Macduff are drug-trading mobsters working under the command of crime boss, Duncan. Lady Macbeth is the trophy wife with a coke habit. So does it work?
Almost.
It gets off to a rather messy beginning with short, fragmented scenes inundated with characters and some blink-or-you'll-miss-it backstory. The film doesn't really hit its stride until Macbeth and his Lady invite Duncan to their house and the blood starts to flow. By this point, however, my attention was already beginning to wane and judgement was already being passed.
One of the major problems of the film is that what makes Macbeth so great on stage simply doesn't translate to film. Even Polanski's version never quite gets there. There are too many secondary characters that are too similar and they distract you from the main story Macbeth and his ambition a part of the film that gets surprisingly little screen time and never really develops any momentum or psychological crediblity.
Little snippets of scenes and character come across the screen so quickly and seem to have so little relevance that it becomes quite a frustrating watch. What should be an exciting, adrenaline pumping film (such as Wright's earlier film, Romper Stomper) becomes bogged down and the finale is anti-climactic and has no emotional resonance. One begins to wonder why they bothered to modernise the play or even tell it at all. The theme of murder begets murder doesn't really shine through and Macbeth never seems that ambitious nor do we see much difference in his circumstance as he begins his bloody rise. Maybe the film should have taken a few more chances or liberties with the text why you'd include the line "merciful heavens" after the announcement of one character's murder and not expect the audience to laugh is beyond me. At the very least, some deeper thought needed to be given to the modernising of the text. It seems a little too much like it's just been run through the "REPLACE" feature on Microsoft Word. Replace swords with guns. Witches with schoolgirls. Dread with campy hissing.
Sam Worthington brings his typical Aussie masculinity to the role and once he gets warmed up, does quite a fine job even though he has to compete with some rather odd costumes including a paisley leisure suit and a leather kilt that drew more than few titters from the audience. Victoria Hill as Lady Macbeth is also quite believable and her "come you spirits" monologue, delivered in voice over as she walks down the driveway to greet Duncan, is one of the film's finer moments. The actors who really shine are the ones you least expect though The Molloy brothers as Macbeth's semi-loyal henchmen nail it while Louis Corbett in the almost silent role of Macduff's son has a quiet intensity that much of the film sorely needs.
Stylistically, the film shines. It's probably the best use of HD I've seen so far with great colours and a strong, confident approach to the design think Scarface goes to Moulin Rouge as directed by Mario Bava. And one should applaud the film for its ambition. It's nice to see an Australian film really take some risks and try something different. But ultimately it's a hollow, unengaging experience that seems to be trying too hard to shock its audience and ends up boring them instead. Maybe they should play it alongside Book of Revelation as two films that should have rocked us but didn't. Disappointing.