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William Houston, Christopher Timothy, Gareth Thomas, Campbell Scott, Blair Brown ... see more see more... , Jamey Sheridan , Roscoe Lee Browne , Lisa Gay Hamilton , Roger Guenveur Smith , Sam Robards , John Benjamin Hickey , Michael Imperioli , Marcus Giamatti , Maureen Anderman , Jim Gaffigan , Earl Hindman , Christina Kirk , J.C. MacKenzie , Madison Arnold , Caroline Kava , Marin Hinkle , Seth Barrish , Tina Benko , Leon Addison Brown , Matt Malloy , Guy Davis , Dan Moran , Gary De Michele , Bill Buell , Joan Campion , Peter McRobbie , Lewis Arlt , Byron Jennings , Denis O'Hare , Eric Simonson , Ethan Hawke , Kyle MacLachlan , Sam Shepard , Diane Venora , Bill Murray , Liev Schreiber , Julia Stiles , Karl Geary , Paula Malcomson , Steve Zahn , Dechen Thurman , Rome Neal , Jeffrey Wright , Paul Bartel , Casey Affleck

The setting is New York City in the year 2000, providing an instant entree to a new generation of filmgoers. Hamlet is born of an alienation and angst not unfamiliar to young audiences. Denmark is not... read more read more... a kingdom but a huge corporation, and the ghost of his father appears to him on the terrace of his sterile metropolitan hotel. The famous 'to be or not to be' speech is delivered under the glare of fluorescent lights in the aisles of a video store. It seems as if once again, this version of the classic tragedy resonates with its true meaning: one man's youthful idealism destroyed by the knowledge of his world's corruption.

Flixster Users

47% liked it

9,777 ratings

Critics

55% liked it

85 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Michael Almereyda

Release Date: May 12, 2000

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DVD Release Date: April 17, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (594)

  • moonrivers
    April 28, 2012
    moonrivers
    An all star cast performs and modern day New York is the setting for yet another take on the Bard's most well known play, with less emphasis on delivery of the lines (the iambic problem) than on the emotional intent implied by the words. Not for everyone, but then neither is iam... read morebic pentameter. The casting choices are inspired.
  • spielberg00
    August 12, 2011
    spielberg00
    It seems like they're just actors somehow in a modern setting reciting off of their script (or, in this case, screenplay), but it's all a great, fantastic production otherwise.
  • binky013
    February 2, 2009
    binky013
    This is not bad at all. Again, it's no Branagh, but I enjoyed it. I"m not sure if BIll Murray -- who is on my favorite actor list -- is delivering intentionally his Polonius lines the way he does, in that halting manner, as if not fully comprehending the words, or if he really ... read moreis not doing a very good job. Even with that, this is well worth seeing.
  • aliceinpunderland
    October 29, 2008
    aliceinpunderland
    Ethan Hawke portrays Hamlet exactly as I envision him - driven by love (not just revenge), capable of being a prick but on the whole, an introspective "passive" character. Out of the three contemporary films, this story arc makes the most sense to me: Hamlet doesn't really put ... read moreon a show of being mad (yeah yeah textual evidence), he is depressed and conflicted, but everyone takes that for "madness." Of course, Hawke's low-key delivery wouldn't work on stage but the quiet moments - "get thee to a nunnery" as romantic prelude! - are the most beautiful interpretations of the Bard I have ever seen. Even "to be or not to be" in a video store is actually quite an awesome commentary - "oppressor's wrong, pangs of dispriz'd love, law's delay, insolence of office," et cetera, are all the trite tragedies in films nowadays, yet we rent them and watch them like robots, "los[ing] the name of action." Almereyda truly updates this classic for a new era of electronic and insidious voyeurism. While Stiles and Murray are terrible Shakespearean actors, Shepard, MacLachlan, Venora, and Schreiber are excellent. I must admit though, I am dissatisfied with the death scenes in all three films. And sad to say, as the result of watching so much Hamlet in 72 hours, I'm starting to believe more and more that Shakespeare wrote this in a fortnight :~P It really is an uneven plotline, deserving the title of "problem play."
  • ceWEBrity
    September 1, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    I never found this movie particularly interesting. I remember some of the awesome camera work, but the performances fall flat and the telling of the classic story lacks energy.
  • Yinali
    March 27, 2008
    Yinali
    I love this version of Hamlet. Definitely more understandable. And has a different perception about Hamlet.
  • michaelcorleone
    January 6, 2008
    michaelcorleone
    A sleek, moody adaptation with distinct vision and a memorably somber tone. Ethan Hawke's portrayal of the legendary character is remarkable - textured, emotional and deeply involving. This is a solidly written, directed, and acted film. I really enjoyed it.
  • Dracula787
    March 14, 2009
    Dracula787
    I?m a fan of movies based on Shakespeare plays; it?s a genre I?ve been obsessing about lately. I think these adaptations are a great way to stretch creativity around an existing framework. This is the sixth major adaptation of Hamlet to retain the original dialogue, but it cert... read moreainly isn?t the best. The film places the action in contemporary New York and makes Denmark into a corporation, the film has a slightly grunge feel. There are some inspired translations, for instance the ?to be or not to be? speech is done in a Blockbuster Video, though the basic idea of adapting the play into corporate intrigue had already been done in Akira Kurosawa?s The Bad Sleep Well. Also, Ethan Hawke is pretty good in the title role, but that?s about where the compliments end. The play has been cut pretty sloppily, I don?t think anyone unfamiliar with the material would be able to follow it. The film?s budget wasn?t very high, and the whole think is just sort of slow and bland. There are better versions of this to be found. Not recommended.
  • SunilJawahir
    May 28, 2008
    SunilJawahir
    I really just don't see the appeal to Hamlet in any form.
  • Naesssal
    December 15, 2007
    Naesssal
    An interesting movie but not a very good one. The director clearly cares about what he is making, but the film is undone by being too short, and by the casting. Many of the stars in this film are great actors but they can't pull the material off. It also gets a little too "cle... read morever" with it's modernization, such as the name of the hotel being Elsinore, the fax machine being the Osric, and it being the Denmark Corporation rather than Denmark. Now I know where the people who made the remake of the Manchurian Candidate got the idea from. There is one scene in particular which really bothered me. The scene is the one in which Polonius traditionally questions Hamlet about what he is reading. In the play this scene is the one in which Hamlet shows the audience and the other characters his feigned madness. In this film the scene is severely cut down and it is unbelievable that anyone would think that he is mad. This scene is directly followed by a scene of him rushing into his uncle's office pointing a gun, but his uncle is not there. The insinuation is that he obviously would have killed him had he been there. But this changes Hamlet's character. It doesn't interpret his character as other film versions have, it changes it. Hamlet is not a man of action. He is too slow and contemplative. He would never just go ahead and take his revenge. He has to be sure. In this version he is a little too immature.

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Critic Reviews

Ken Eisner
July 6, 2008
Ken Eisner, Variety

It could prove almost as definitive -- and far more easily digestible -- than Branagh's textually complete version. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

The lines are read for the most part with more feeling for the angry-stepchild plot than for the iambic pentameter. Full Review

Susan Stark
April 11, 2002
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Icy-cold in its palette and unwaveringly cool in its application of modern settings and gizmos to a text that stands up to endless reinvention, this is a Hamlet that brings imagination matched by thou...

Rick Groen
March 19, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

The result is more than a mere gimmick and less than an unqualifed success, but yes -- it's always watchable. Full Review

Peter Rainer
October 30, 2001
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

By equating the garish feudalism of the play's original setting with the megalopolis of today's New York, [Almereyda is] at least on the right track. The problem is, it's just about his only track. Full Review

Kevin Thomas
March 12, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Almereyda has pulled off a formidable coup: He's made Shakespeare come alive for contemporary audiences of all ages, especially young people. Full Review

Steve Murray
March 9, 2001
Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A moody and compelling update of Shakespeare's classic. Full Review

Joe Baltake
March 8, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

It may work only in fits -- as an experiment usually does -- but you also can't deny that this is a true, fresh adaptation. Full Review

John Anderson
January 1, 2000
John Anderson, Newsday

Provocative!

Susan Wloszczyna
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

This is one Hamlet that was not meant to be.

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  • Which Disney movie was loosely based off of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" ?  Answer »
  • Which "Hamlet" movie featured Kate Winslet as "Ophelia"?  Answer »
  • In which film did a small town historian (Vincent Price) spin a quartet of horror tales about his hamlet?  Answer »
  • What movie did this quote come from? " To be, or not to be."  Answer »
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