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Hamlet,12, 111 mins
Director: Michael Almereyda
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Kyle Maclachlan, Julia Stiles and Bill Murray
Where: Nationwide
When: Now
Rating: 
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There have been so many stage revivals and film adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet that it hardly seems worth dragging yourself off the sofa and forking out a fiver to see the new one. Make the effort.
Transporting the action from Denmark to New York, this version is a thrilling contemporary update and is so gorgeous-looking it doesn't even matter how much of the Olde English language you manage to decipher.
Following the plot shouldn't be a problem, really. Director Michael Almereyda brings the story to vivid life through the clever use of news bulletins, camcorder footage, security cameras, internet and emails. This is Hamlet Y2K with Ethan Hawke playing the title character as a moody slacker slouching around NY as he plots to avenge his father's murder.
Hawke can sometimes be a bit dull on screen, but his laidback, who-gives-a-shit attitude is perfect here. Also in the cast are Kyle Maclachlan, Julia Stiles and Bill Murray, who all give their characters a modern spin without ever trashing Shakespeare's dialogue or rhyming couplets. Fifteen minutes or so in and you'll be too entranced by the imagery to notice what they're saying anyway.
Old Bill's probably turned in his grave a few times over some of the previous
versions of his revenge tragedy, but you can imagine him up in heaven
applauding this one while tapping his feet to a soundtrack that includes Morcheeba
and Primal Scream.
– Simon Button 13.12.00
Click
here to check out the official Hamlet website.
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