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Everyone in Hollywood always goes on about the value of a good script. Well, when it comes to penmanship, you don't get much better than William Shakespeare.
Which probably explains why so many people take a crack at his plays. For this effort, writer/director Michael Almereyda has enlisted some of Tinseltown's better actors and transplanted the action to modern-day New York.
Hamlet (a worthy Hawke), is a student film maker and son of the head of the Denmark Corporation. When his Dad is brutally murdered, barely two months pass before his mother (Venora) gets hitched to the boss' brother Claudius (McLachlan), the man suspected of the crime.
Full of self-loathing and hatred for his Ma, Hamlet receives a ghoulish visit from his old man, who encourages him to exact revenge. Suffice to say, it all ends in tears.
Cutting the play substantially, but sticking to the Elizabethan English, this is a perfectly decent version of the classic text. The acting is pleasingly understated and Almereyda has fun with the visuals - essential, considering the quantity of monologue.
However, while the makers are no doubt keen for this to be considered the ideal contemporary introduction to the Great Bard, it's just not quite daring or spectacular enough - and ultimately most enjoyable for the chance to watch great performers like Murray spout the quote-friendly dialogue.
