Denzel Washingtonis plotting to rule over Rome inGladiator II,Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel to his 2000 Best Picture winning historical epic. The new film sees Washington as Macrinus, a former slave who keeps and trains gladiators for combat, while maneuvering politically for a hopeful shot at the throne of the Roman Empire. But before Washington tries to puppet master his way into the best seat in the Colosseum, it’s worth revisiting another recent performance of his as a dedicated, corrupted political figure.
The Tragedy of Macbethis written and directed byJoel Coen, of theCoen Brothers, of course, based on the play byWilliam Shakespeare, and stars Washington as the Scottish lord who cuts his way to the throne and loses grasp of his own ambitions. The film garnered critical acclaim upon release in 2021, and gained Washington his ninth nomination for an acting Academy Award. Despite the positive reception,The Tragedy of Macbethis a relatively underappreciated movie in Washington’s filmography. The movie delivers on all fronts, with beautiful black and white photography that makes an eerie use of shadows and stark lighting, a great supporting cast which includesFrances McDormandas Lady Macbeth, and Washington giving one of his all-time best performances.
Denzel Washington Has a Long History With William Shakespeare’s Work
The Tragedy of Macbethis the triumphant culmination of Washington’s decades of experience with Shakespeare.Beginning in college, Washington starred inOthello, and in the following years, he would go on to star in major productions ofCoriolanus,Richard III, andJulius Caesar. (He isset to return toOthelloon Broadway in 2025, alongsideJake Gyllenhaal.) Washington had never acted inMacbethbefore, and in fact, he even admitted inan interview while promoting the filmthathe had never seen a proper production of the story on stage or screen. This distance from the role allowed him to not bring any baggage of what other performers had done in the past. AlthoughMacbethhad eluded Washington, he had given notable performances in college and community theater, Shakespeare in the Park, and eventually on Broadway in a variety of Shakespeare’s plays.Washington also expressed that he did not see many actors who looked like him doing Shakespeare, and did not take the opportunity lightly to lead by example in engaging with the works that had not often embraced a diverse approach to casting.
Washington also lent his talents to a more comedic Shakespeare story with a performance inKenneth Branagh’sMuch Ado About Nothing, his first time acting in a film adaptation of Shakespeare’s work. This movie offers a radically different tone and character thanThe Tragedy of Macbeth, which is a darker and more experimental take on an already dramatic story. Washington’s decades of experience working in Shakespeare’s sandbox primed him to take on the volatile, tragic figure of Macbeth in Coen’s film. He was ready for this performance, and it was a perfect match of filmmaker, source material, and performer.
Denzel Washington Sheds His Movie Star Charm in ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’
The megawatt smile and sly charm is what we come to see when we buy a ticket for a Denzel Washington movie.The Tragedy of Macbethtells us to check our expectations at the door, with a performance from Washington that demands a more morally dubious character, and one who succumbs to paranoia and is raving mad by the end of the film. This is not the way we see Washington, the poised and elegant movie star who lights up every frame. Even in his other more villainous roles, likeTraining Day, Washington is wickedly fun, but Macbeth is not exactly a “fun” performance.
That is not to say Washington isn’t remarkable in the film. In fact,The Tragedy of Macbethdelivers one of the greatest, most singularly enrapturing performances of Washington’s career. Perhaps the most beloved and acclaimed movie star of his generation,Washington plays one of the most iconic and studied and titanic parts in the history of theater as an art form, and he does so with incredible precision.
Macbeth is a richly textured, complicated character who succumbs to a lust for power and betrays his most trusted allies out of sheer paranoia. His rise to the throne is quickly and brutally turned into a tragic one, and Washington handles his downfall appropriately. Washington, who is usually graceful in how he charms his way through a performance, instead quietly stews over his prophesied demise.Macbeth is Washington at his most emotionally vulnerable, festering to the brink of insanity before being cut down in a desperate attempt to grasp onto the power he has claimed.
Joel Coen’s Interpretation of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ Is Extremely Intimate
Coen’s vision ofMacbethis much more stripped down, with minimalist production design and a small cast. The intimacy of a production that has been done in such larger proportions by other filmmakers makes every performance that much more pivotal. Washington rises to the task, witha uniquely quiet performance that matches thenoir sensibilities of Coen’s take on the story. His Macbeth is aware of his fate from the start, resigned to watching as the walls close in around him. He fights back, but there’s a subtextual level that Washington adds which communicates the futility of his actions, as if he knows he is powerless to avoid his prophetic end.
It’s one of the most experimental takes on the story that has ever been put to film, and Washington makes it his own in a performance unlike anything he’s done before on screen.The Tragedy of Macbethis a cutting, masterful execution of a pared down take on Shakespeare, and further proof of Washington’s claim to the throne of movie stardom.
The Tragedy of Macbethis available to watch on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.
