Richard III

I actually wathed this movie in a Shakespeare class in college and found some of the scenes in this movie over the top. The tank scene at the beginning is beyond silly and so is the death of Robert Downey Jr.... Full review

This version of Richard III is un frickin' believeable. Ian gave a stunning performance as Richard. This story kinda gave me a picture of Nazi Germany only this time its just Yorks v.s. Lancaster. This film is a grade A! You... Full review

There are two definitive productions of Richard III: - Sir Laurence Olivier's 1955 film version, which he directed and in which he plays the title role, supported by Sir Cedric Hardwicke as King Edward, Sir John Gielgud as Clarence, the... Full review

Shakespeare's plays have been adapted since the beginning of the movie industry. And this is one of the best adaptations I've seen to date. The acting is simply brilliant and leaves you 100% compelled. Ian McKellen gives his best, while the... Full review

Richard III like you've never seen it. This is not for the faint of heart, but the acting and visuals are brilliant, and Ian McKellan and Maggie Smith steal the show. Odd, quirky, and dark ... but a film lovers treat... Full review

Sir Ian was great. Shakespeare with a modern twist. And how about that final scene right out of "Dr. Strangelove." A fun movie.... Full review

This is one of those versions of Shakespeare that will not appeal to the traditionalist who believes everything has to be done in period costume and that no liberties can be taken with staging. However, for those with confidence in the... Full review

I am surprised how many people seem to hate this film. I am not a Shakespeare expert,but I love history and the 1930s and 1940s are my favourite period,so I love the way the our odd Royal Family is shown... Full review

I think updating Shakespeare's plays to more modern eras can be a good idea, but attempts quite often fail due to "modernizing" of the original text into the current vernacular, adding modern slang terms and modern pop-political slants and such... Full review

-Probable spoilers-This is the first adaptation of Richard III I've seen, and I loved it. Transferring the play into the 1930s allows it a modern(ish) anchor that most Shakespeare adaptations fail at, giving it a better sense of authenticity rather... Full review

It would be a perverse act if you didn't unbutton at that point. As McKellen drops his pants, he tries to remove his shirt too, but fails -- it gets stuck over his head. ... Full Review

Made with gusto, daring and visual brilliance, this stripped-down, jazzed-up "Richard" pulsates with bloody life, a triumph of both modernization and popularization. It's part of McKellen's gift to make it seem that Richard is taking the audience into his confidence via his monologues because his contemporaries are too dense to be appreciative and he has to share his consummate villainy with someone. ... Full Review

By KENNETH TURAN TIMES FILM CRITIC April 6, 1996 Friday December 29, 1995 Richard of Gloucester is one of Shakespeare's most magnificent monsters and "Richard III" is a film audacious enough to match his astonishing villainy. This is Shakespeare exciting enough for even the most dubious, which, after all ... Full Review

Err too much on the side of drama with ``Richard III,'' and you lose the humor. A good rule of thumb for ``Richard III'' is that if it's not fun, somebody's doing something wrong. ... Full Review

We first see Richard as the battlefield hero, who has helped to place his brother on the throne through valorous, if somewhat malicious, duty in war. IAN MCKELLEN brought "Richard III" to the Curran in 1992 and his entertaining one-man show "Acting Shakespeare" to San Francisco twice. ... Full Review

A great cast (Maggie Smith, Annette Bening, Robert Downey Jr., John Wood) delivers Shakespeare's words as both poetry and true conversation. The film reminds us that the Bard was the Oliver Stone of his day, creating a portrait of Richard... ... Full Article

It is a testament to the timelessness of William Shakespeare that so many filmmakers have adapted the Bard's plays and set them in time frames incongruous with our preconceptions. ... Full Article

Ian McKellen delivers a sly and wicked performance as Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who begins to systematically eliminate everyone that stands between him and the throne- starting with his own brothers. ... Full Article