Camden New Journal - Movies: Macbeth

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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with WILLIAM HALL
Published: 12 July 2007

Witches Kate Bell, Miranda Nation and Chloe Armstrong

Hail to thee, Aussie Thane

MACBETH
Directed by Geoffrey Wright
Certificate 15

IS this a dagger that I see before me, sport?
This play that dare not speak its name is set in modern-day Melbourne, where the cast wear leather jackets, speak in Aussie accents and kill each other with AK47s in a gangland war that erupts into a bloodbath amid seedy back alleys and neon strip clubs.
The twist is that they speak Shakespeare’s original prose – and director Geoffrey (Romper Stomper) Wright has created a riveting drama that grabs you from the start and never lets go.
From the opening shots of three nymphet witches in schoolgirl uniforms desecrating a cemetery, daubing statues with red paint so they appear to run with blood, we’re transfixed. Black storm clouds swirl across the screen. Thunder fills the air.
Macbeth himself (Sam Worthington) sets about his wicked ways plotting with his wife (Victoria Hill) in a power game to murder his crime boss Duncan (Gary Sweet) and anyone who stands in his way.
The result is a powerhouse of a production, brutal and uncompromising, with a devastating impact.
But then, that’s Shakespeare for you, timeless and totally absorbing.
This has to be one of the most innovative and thrilling films of the year.

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