Macbeth

Runtime: 109min 20secs
Tagline: Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Directed by: Geoffery Wright
Screenplay by: Victoria Hill

Plot Outline:
Based on the Shakespeare play, this is a modern day interpretation of it set in the ganglands of Melbourne.

In a nutshell it's about Macbeth (Sam Worthington), who after encountering prophecies from 3 witches that hail him as future King, takes up with his wife Lady Macbeth (Victoria Hill) the plan to make the propechy true, by wiping out the King. His tragedy is that though he becomes King, the next King after him is prophecised as the blood of another.

His wife commits suicide out of guilt, he goes a bit nuts himself, and then gets killed for his deeds by a man who wasn't born naturally, but 'ripped' from his mother premature. The witches made Macbeth feel he was immortal by telling him he could not die from anyone born.

Obviously, theres a lot more to it, I merely summarise for those who mayn't be familiar.

Overall Impression
Well, if you look up Shakespeare on imdb you'll see there are 100's of adaptations of his work, and I get it, his work is extremely well written, so it makes sense. Personally must admit, these modern day adaptation are pretty nifty, it's good to see a well wrtten story modernised for the current day audiences.

What is a little strange though is using the original lines that are three centuries old. I mean dont get me wrong, it's poetic and surely something that fans of his work would enjoy on-screen, but as a film being a standalone piece, it sticks out as quite a bit odd. In addition there is the whole King thing, it doesn't quite work in the underworld, maybe they should have replaced it with the word Godfather or Don :). I think it'd be better either set in the correct era, or if the modernisation was done 'fully'. I'm sure it's not intended, but it comes off as a bit half-hearted if they don't.

Okay, putting that aside, the film overall stands pretty mediocre, watchable, even enjoyable, I mean who doesn't enjoy a good shootout in a mansion??, but little you'll take away as spectacular, except the performances, in paticular that of Macbeth & Lady Macbeth. Since she also wrote the screenplay I wonder if it was merely a medium to showcase her talent. Shakespeare adaptations do seem good for that, that's for sure. Oh and about 75% into the film I realised that Malcolm was the 'mouse' in the Matrix.

Possible moral of the story
If you get blood on your clothes and on your hands while killing someone, you're an idiot. You should have worn a raintcoat, but anyway dealing with the matter at hand, take it to the dry cleaners, and if questioned claim it's cranberry, cran-apple, that way you know it'll be cleaned properly.

Praiseworthy performances, style & direction, but little else