Director: Geoffrey Wright, 15, 109min
Stars: Sam Worthington, Victoria Hill, Lachy Hulme
On selected release
This is at least the third stab (following Joe Macbeth and Men of Respect) at doing Macbeth as a gory gangster movie. This thane is a gun-pointing underboss, advised by porn movie nymphet witches, and his rise-and-fall act parallels either version of Scarface as much as Scots history rejigged for Jacobean consumption.
Wright ( Romper Stomper) abridges the text rather than updating, giving the piece a weird air even before the supernatural kicks in. Like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, the bizarre mod gear makes everyone look like refugees from either Austin Powers or Underworld – Macbeth gets into a black leather kilt for the final battle.
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Performances aren’t a match for the attitude: Worthington and Hill give limited readings as Macbeth and Mrs M, and most of the rest struggle (Hulme’s Macduff is an exception – he’s so good that you wonder why he didn’t get the lead). This is watchable tosh because the Bard did his job so well in the first place that even a half-strength Macbeth delivers – the plot powers along and the language soars, despite the Aussie accents.