Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

TxMike I watched this at home on DVD from our public library.The characters in thre movie aren't really Lady Macbeth and her family, it is used as a reference for the type of behavior, namely needing to kill off an heir to keep things for herself. There has been much written about the details of the actual story, I won't try to repeat that.I want to comment on the lead actress, Florence Pugh, who probably wasn't much older than 19 during filming, as Katherine. She was secured in wedlock to an older man seemingly only as a means to provide an heir to the country estate. Ms. Pugh is new to feature roles as this and she really carries it well. I look for better parts for her in the near future.Otherwise the movie is a sad tale of tragedy in a Shakespearean manner. Well made with almost no background music which, when you focus on that, makes it just a bit dull.

Movie_Muse_Reviews Within minutes, "Lady Macbeth" sets a familiar period romance stage: a very young woman in 19th century rural England is sold into marriage to a cold fish husband and an even nastier father-in-law and in her isolation begins an affair with the stable groom on the family estate. We immediately sympathize with Katherine (Florence Pugh) and her desire to claim some free will from the clutches of a stifling patriarchy - and then the film starts earning its Shakespearean title.Director William Oldroyd's meticulous period mies en scene and portrait-like framing of Katherine's life and her ill-advised romance suddenly begins to unravel at the edges with some pivotal choices that create a jarring incongruity of tones. In an assured feature film debut, Oldroyd chilling tries to maintain the film's quiet, poise and elegance amidst the story's growing chaos and darkness.Adapted from Nikolai Leskov's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk," a novella released during the film's time period, screenwriter Alice Birch's choice to tell this story in England emphasizes its Shakespearean qualities and makes it more palatable for Western audiences. The film earns its lofty title by depicting Katherine's slowly rising ambition as she works desperately to maintain their illicit romance with Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis) and the freedom that accompanies it.Like any story aspiring to Shakespearean levels, "Lady Macbeth" has somewhat of a three-act structure, only the "acts" are tied loosely together by Katherine's character arc - the conflicts and problems established early on do not swell in the way traditional stories do due to Katherine's decisive actions that change her circumstances. For a 20-year-old actress, Pugh gets a rare opportunity to establish dramatic prowess and comes off remarkably beyond her years. She embodies the clash of poise and passion Oldroyd aims for, often staying composed in body and voice while the story goes off the rails.The film doesn't sell us on its central romance, but the romance elements do reveal themselves to be ancillary to the film's actual genre - crime drama. Little about Katherine and Sebastian's relationship pulls us deeply into their situation and makes us feel more deeply about the choices they must make, but the film does sell us on their desperation and why they might feel as though they must do anything for each other. What at the onset we're lead to believe is a film about doing "anything for love" turns out to be more about autonomy and liberation.Class therefore plays a big part of the movie, and more specifically the power dynamics that come with it. For the first several minutes, Katherine has no power. She appears to have no more right to do as she pleases than the servants on the estate, including her handmaiden, Anna (Naomi Ackie), who is black. When we see Katherine and Anna in a scene together, however, we watch Katherine exert her power as lady of the house and watch Anna struggle to take any action of her own volition, a privilege that her position does not allow her - and one Katherine takes for granted.These different class and power dynamics give Oldroyd an opportunity in the camera's framing. Cleverly, when a character moves out of the frame, rather than cutting to a new angle, he will maintain the existing shot and allow the character to break the frame. In a few key spots, this accentuates the class distinctions and highlights their critical role in how the story unfolds. Whereas Shakespeare was into doling out extreme consequences for extreme action, "Lady Macbeth" takes a different route with resolving the story's ever-mounting darkness that has its own chilling effect. It makes "Lady Macbeth" into a decisively more modern film in that it's more interested in choices than morals. The story's roots in the hallmarks of classic literature, however, do keep the plot rather simple and put more onus on Oldroyd to create something engaging and new out of familiar ideas. He does that to enough of an extent that "Lady Macbeth" deserves notice.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Red_Identity This was such a great surprise. I guess I expected either an all-out thriller or a very subtle, restrained drama, and what I got instead was a delicious mix of both ends of the spectrum. The events that go on certainly are what one would expect out of a melodrama, but the film becomes more than that by not resorting to the usual theatrics or melodramatic styles. It's quiet and restrained while also being quite insane at its core and that't not an easy feat to achieve. I can see how audiences might be very mixed on this and I completely understand it, but I found it incredibly gripping, incredibly well made, and one of the most purely entertaining films of the year so far. One thing that I don't see people being mixed on, however, is on Florence Pugh. She is absolutely incredible and one would struggle to think of how this character could have been brought to life from the page in any other way. In a just world she would be winning tons of awards.

hi_im_manic I agree with the majority of the finely articulated reviews previously posted. There are deviations from the novel that are inexplicable and a nuisance. Firstly, the geography, moved from Russia to Scotland yet the characters indicate a tale better suited to the American South. It's vigorous exercise to accept that certain events and behaviors took place. If they were excluded though, it would have made for a much less entertaining film! The pacing was brilliant, not too slow not fast. It's hard to judge how much time has lapsed. How long was Katherine subjected to harsh subservience following her wedding before the "Masters" left her? How long did she toy with Sebastian and take daily strolls before he appears at her bedroom door? How long did their torrid, carnal affair last before the Masters of the home returned? There are indications that long periods lapse between each event but one cannot be certain.The setting was subtly striking and realistic. It's not opulent nor colorful as seen in other period films. The most colorful object is a royal blue, restrictive dress Katherine wears as she sits silently, austierly... quite literally bored stiff. The furnishings and style of decor show great attention to detail and accuracy. As others have mentioned, only the breed of the cat is maligned to the time period. I didn't find it to be a bother, I was pleased a cat was there at all since they were necessary in manors. Most of the characters are nasty, unsavory people with little or no redeeming qualities. Poor long- suffering Anna, an indescript servant girl, the Grandmother Agnes, and little Teddy are the only ones with measurable humanity. They add heart where there's otherwise nothing but selfish indignity and ruthlessness.Katherine is a cunning villianess, a sociopath from the high class. She's not only driven by boredom, rebellion and lust but deep seated sadism, entitlement, and indifference for others. She has no remorse for her actions, not ever. That's the very definition of an anti-social personality. Perhaps her husband rejected her because he could read behind her facade.A more likely explanation for the husbands rejection and objectification of Katherine is that he did not want to give the father he resented the satisfaction he desired. He too, was rebellious and felt restricted. Thus, he fathered a bastard child with an "inappropriate" woman, and when his controlling father BOUGHT him an "appropriate" bride and demanded an heir, he resented it and refused to comply. His motivation seems clear enough to me. Sweet little Teddy, the aforementioned "bastard" child should have been embraced by his paternal family not hidden away, and he should be the rightful heir to the estate. When he comes to claim his birthright we know he stands little chance. When Katherine unexpectedly warms to Teddy, and we watch their relationship develop, we have hope. We see genuine gentleness. Hope is short-lived as Teddy's presence becomes inconvenient. He becomes another victim of Katherines scheme that she and Sebastian live as Queen and King of the manor. Katherine's plan was doomed even with the murderous elimination of human obstacles. Even moreso, because of them. I believe Sebastian would soon be fed up with her smothering ways and selfishness and he would have jetted. Sebastian was impetuous, selfish and predatory but he was not beyond feeling guilt or regret. I don't think that Katherine revealing that she was pregnant would have kept him there either. In the last moments of the film, with Sebastian, Anna, and Agnes now fine we see Katherine contemplating her predicament. She's pregnant, alone, and the birth of the child will be her undoing. One shudders to imagine how she'll eliminate the next victim.Character development is well communicated, even in silence. It was beautiful to watch how well the performers conveyed their thoughts and emotions with a simple stare or expression. The direction was near flawless in this respect. The camera- work was also noteworthy with picture-perfect framing and angles, and also with the scenic shots. The last 12 months have been cinematically impressive ones, producing works such as this. It is another that I will eagerly add to my collection.