Hamlet
(dir. Michael Almereyda)
After the death of the head of New York's Denmark Corporation, wayward son Hamlet returns to his home to find his mum shacked up with his devious uncle.
Set in modern New York, this film is a strange remake of the Mel Gibson original. Although the setting is modern, the dialogue is still in the original form, meaning it takes a good 20 minutes to settle in and actually get a hold of what's being said. You're left recalling your English O level to keep up.
Once you get into the swing of things however it's a pretty good adaption. Ethan Hawke plays a good Hamlet, and while some of the actor's seem a bit like they're reading gibberish without knowing what it means, a few really let their screen persona come through - Bill Murray and Steve Zahn in particular.
Good music, good locations, nice pixelvision.
23rd May 2005 - Tumblr
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