Joe MacBeth


Joe MacBeth is a 1955 British–American crime drama, directed by Ken Hughes and starring Paul Douglas, Ruth Roman and Bonar Colleano. It is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in a 1930s American criminal underworld. The film's plot closely follows that of Shakespeare's original play.
A similar adaptation, Men of Respect, was released in 1990, starring John Turturro, Rod Steiger and Dennis Farina.

Plot

Hit man Joe MacBeth goes directly from the assassination of crime boss Duke's second-in-command Tommy to his own wedding, where bride Lily scolds him for being two hours late.
Duke rewards him with a mansion by a lake. A fortune teller persuades Lily, however, that Joe's destiny is to be the leader, not a follower. Lily is ruthlessly ambitious. After he personally eliminates Duke's gluttonous rival, Big Dutch, at a restaurant, Lily continues to goad Joe into going after his own boss.
After eliminating his crime ally Banky and alienating Banky's son Lennie, an evening at the lakeside mansion ends with Duke inviting the lovely Lily to go for a swim. Once in the water, though, Duke is stabbed in the back by Joe and left to die. Lily dives in to make sure.
Although he expresses outrage that someone has murdered their boss, Joe is not believed by Lennie, who suspects the truth. Joe begins to be haunted by nightmares and visions. One night, when he believes Lennie's men have come to kill him, Joe takes a machine gun and opens fire at a moving curtain. Lily falls dead. Joe's own violent end is about to follow.

Cast

Critical response

Author Geoff Mayer wrote in his book Historical Dictionary of Crime Films: "Although this bizarre gangster film was an attempt to update William Shakespeare's play to contemporary America... less-than-subtle alterations to the play with name changes..."
The Variety staff of Variety wrote in their review: "Joe Macbeth is far removed from the famous Shakespearean character, but there is an analogy between this modern gangster story and the Bard’s classic play. Although made in Britain, the film has an American setting. It is expensively mounted, expertly staged and directed with a keen sense of tension."

Citations