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Richard III

1995

Richard Loncraine

Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Broadbent ...

6.5

1,153

Drama William Shakespeare's classic play is brought into the present with the setting as Great Britian in the 1930s. Civil war has erupted with the House of Lancaster on one side, claiming the right to the British throne and hoping to bring freedom to the country. Opposing is the House of York, commanded by the infamous Richard III (Sir Ian McKellen), who rules over a fascist government and hopes to install himself as a dictator monarch.

	Author	Review
United Kingdom	Tom Huddleston Time Out	"Rarely has a film used London’s landmarks so cannily, and rarely has screen Shakespeare been so sharp and satisfying."	POS
United States	Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle	"Some of the unexpected visual touches are brilliant, others simply entertaining. But the picture never stops coming at you."	POS
United States	Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times	"This is a film with a dread fascination. McKellen occupies it like a poisonous spider in its nest. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Jay Carr Boston Globe	"This smart Richard III looks terrific, moves like the wind and rides the nerve of McKellen daring us not to enjoy its central monster's evil panache"	POS
United States	Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times	"Made with gusto, daring and visual brilliance, this stripped-down, jazzed-up 'Richard' pulsates with bloody life, a triumph of both modernization and popularization."	POS
United Kingdom	Angie Errigo Empire	"Rigorous adaptation of the notoriously 'difficult' play."	POS
United States	TV Guide	"From its explosive intro to its surprisingly giddy finale, this glossy adaptation is arch, nasty fun."	POS
United States	Variety Staff Variety	"Spirited acting, machine-gun pacing and ominous Art Deco settings combine to rousing effect in this 'Richard III', a sure-fire crowd-pleaser among recent Shakespeare movies."	POS
United States	James Berardinelli ReelViews	"While this curious clash between a near-modern setting and the much older source material might seem confounding, it actually serves to energize the play, as well as making it more palatable to present-day audiences."	POS

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