Lady Macbeth

At one hour and 30 minutes, every aspect of the film feels spare and graceful.

[Florence] Pugh is mesmerizing.

Lady Macbeth strikes hard and digs deep.

The brazenness of her actions and opacity of her emotions suggest a tragic heroine in the grand tradition ... but the film lacks the propulsive drive to make her fate moving.

Pugh is a wrecking crew, communicating pure malevolence with a simple glance, but always keeping her composure. She may be evil, but she's first and foremost a lady.

Director William Oldroyd delivers a taut and well-paced period drama elevated by Pugh's riveting performance.

Lady Macbeth seems to begin as one thing — a gloomy period tale of oppression and feminist rebellion — but, on the strength of Pugh’s performance, pivots into an even bleaker subversion of that initial impression.

This film will not make you happy, but you will feel a lot of emotions. With this performance, then-20-year-old Pugh let the world know up front she was going to be running things.

Ackie plays the constant terror of being volleyed back and forth between sadistic white noblemen and women with terrifying calm. In truth, this is really her movie.

A powerful, at times brutal, portrayal of a woman driven to extremes in search of autonomy.