Home / Arts and Entertainment / Hamlet Races Through London Streets in Modern Twist
Hamlet Races Through London Streets in Modern Twist
9 Apr
Summary
- Riz Ahmed's Hamlet drives a car during the famous soliloquy.
- The film offers a streamlined text and mobile camerawork.
- The adaptation focuses on a South Asian family in London.

Aneil Karia's "Hamlet" offers a bold cinematic reinterpretation of Shakespeare's classic, with Riz Ahmed in the titular role. The film places the audience directly into Hamlet's struggles, notably featuring the iconic "to be or not to be" soliloquy with Hamlet driving a car at high speed through London.
This adaptation employs a streamlined text and dynamic camerawork, immersing viewers in Hamlet's journey. The narrative unfolds within a wealthy South Asian family in London, with their mansion serving as a primary setting and "Elsinore" identified as their real estate company.
Riz Ahmed's performance captures Hamlet's evolution from grief to a man grappling with destiny. His portrayal is a nervy physical presence, even when not directly confronting characters like Morfydd Clark's Ophelia or Timothy Spall's Polonius.
While this fleet-footed adaptation may trade some of the play's extensive philosophical depth for visceral energy, it surges with its own powerful sense of life and death.