Why do artists keep returning to William Shakespeare? His plays — rife with explorations of deep humanity and emotion — provide not just a framework for hanging many different worlds upon his words, but also the kind of complex characters and twisted tales that actors and filmmakers crave, whether tragedy, romance or comedy. The latest movie adaptation of an iconic Shakespeare play is “Hamlet,” directed by Aneil Karia, which sees Riz Ahmed star as the prodigal prince, mourning the death of his father.
The setting is modern, the language original. The screenplay is adapted by Michael Lesslie, who has become a versatile journeyman screenwriter, penning the scripts for Justin Kurzel’s 2015 version of “Macbeth,” young adult behemoth “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” and a story credit on the magicians thriller “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.”
Ahmed brought the idea to set “Hamlet” in a modern South Asian British family to his university pal Lesslie, and then to Karia, with whom Ahmed won an Academy Award in 2022 for best live-action short film for “The Long Goodbye.” Lesslie has stripped down and streamlined Shakespeare’s play to the emotional essentials, while Karia brings a gritty, stylish modern look. Ahmed provides his haunted, intelligent eyes to convey the inner torment of this Hamlet, the grieving scion of a wealthy family of real estate developers.
As soon as his father’s body has been incinerated, Hamlet is rattled to discover that his uncle Claudius (Art Malik), plans to marry his freshly widowed mother Gertrude (Sheeba Chaddha) imminently. A night of debauchery with his old friend Laertes (Joe Alwyn) leads Hamlet to a visit from the spirit of his father (Avijit Dutt), claiming that he’s been murdered and exhorting his son to avenge his death.
Hamlet spirals out of control at this revelation, exacerbated when he starts to uncover the corruption within the family company, Elsinore, which has been involved in the illegal clearing of homeless camps for their latest development. Lashing out, Hamlet sows chaos that ranges from the mischievous to the murderous, though it all always ends in bloody tragedy.
This modern adaptation works because role, ritual and expectation is so ingrained in families like the one Lesslie and Karia present on screen — it’s not such a stretch to imagine that what was expected of the Prince of Denmark in 1600 is not so far off from what is expected of this modern-day heir. Tradition, money and family have the same power now as they did then, at least in this context.
So much of what makes modern Shakespeare work is the performance, especially when the audience has to work through the language. Ahmed’s electrifying performance illuminates the text, carefully honed by Lesslie. But his Hamlet needs a stalwart supporting cast with whom to spar, and he tangles beautifully with Shakespeare veteran Timothy Spall, who plays Laertes’ father and family adviser Polonius, and Morfydd Clark, as a steely but vulnerable Ophelia.
Karia emphasizes cinematic and visual storytelling too, and cinematographer Stuart Bentley achieves some remarkable compositions, capturing neon lights, car headlights and concrete-dusted corners of outer London at night. Inside, a handheld camera noses into personal conversations like another participant.
Powered by Hamlet’s unpredictable emotions, the film cyclones toward a centerpiece dance performance, his “play,” at the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude. It’s a truly stunning expression of his rage and betrayal — a seething accusation — told entirely through bodies and gesture. After the performance, there’s no turning back, and the blood flows like wine, or poison.
Time and again, lovers of Shakespeare’s work will tackle these historical texts, proving that they transcend time while remaining true — as long as the core remains intact. Who wouldn’t want to see “to be or not to be” as delivered by an Oscar-winning actor behind the wheel of a speeding car? The song remains the same, but it’s all in the way you play it. Karia, Ahmed and Lesslie prove that “Hamlet” still hits after all these years.
(“Hamlet” contains some bloody violence, suicide, brief drug use and language)
‘HAMLET’
Rated R. At the AMC Boston Common, Landmark Kendall Square, Coolidge Corner Theatre and suburban theaters
Grade: B+
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