“To be or not to be, that is the question!” Prince Hamlet’s iconic words have never been spoken quite as they are in director Aneil Karia’s modern take on the Shakespeare classic, as the doomed figure speeds recklessly, suicidally, behind the wheel of his BMW. To be completely honest, adaptations of the legendary playwright’s works are unappealing to me because there have been so many. It’s gotten to the point that there is even an overload of contemporary takes on the material. So what’s the reason for this version of Hamlet and what, if anything, sets it apart? Well, that would be star Riz Ahmed in the titular role, as well as the change of setting to London’s affluent South Asian community.
Penned with efficiency by Michael Lesslie, who previously adapted Shakespeare’s Macbeth for director Justin Kurzel, Hamlet is driven by Ahmed’s ferocious performance as the tragic prince, who begins seeing ghosts of his recently deceased father, the head of a prominent construction company. In keeping with tradition, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude (Sheeba Chadha) is to wed his father’s brother, the conniving Claudius (Art Malik), which he thinks is kinda shady. In an effort to exact revenge for his father, Hamlet begins lashing out at everyone around him, including his potential wife Ophelia (Morfydd Clark), loyal friend Laertes (Joe Alwyn), and their father, Polonius (Timothy Spall), also Claudius’ mouthpiece.
Ahmed attacks the role of Hamlet with the intensity he brings to every role, and one can easily see him as the driving force, making the film a reality. He’s such a commanding, theatrical performer that it seems like he should be center stage on Broadway, not necessarily on the big screen. He’s surrounded by a cast who, let’s be honest, fade into the background whenever he’s around. Perhaps it’s due to the economy of Lesslie’s script that the other characters, many of which are celebrated in their own right, feel so incomplete here. That said, Ahmed brings passion and believability to Hamlet’s paranoid turn and ultimate descent into insanity.
Shakespeare’s text still sounds unnatural in a modern setting, and I have a chuckle every time a character is alone and waxing poetic to themselves in a bathroom or something. But the core themes of power, family legacy, greed, and corruption are as relevant as ever, especially in a corporate setting. Aria and Lesslie put in the work to make Shakespeare’s verse fit with the visual and pacing needs of a feature film, with multiple locations and high-pressure interactions keeping the plot moving.
Despite being largely cast with Pakistani and Indian actors, Hamlet doesn’t go deep into exploring how Shakespeare’s dialogue would specifically impact that community today. It’s simply not enough to take the Bard’s words and have people of different cultures recite them. We need to see why they matter; otherwise, what’s the point? That said, Ahmed’s go-for-broke performance is incredible. His devotion to making his own one of the most important figures in dramatic history is worth seeking out.
Vertical releases Hamlet in theaters on April 10th.
