Hamlet (Riz Ahmed) (15)
Screen 2, Sunday 22 Feb 2026, 14:15
- ends at 16:19
A very contemporary take on this classic story, set in London within a South Asian family, this is very much Riz Ahmed's film. He delivers dialogue with the rhythm and presence of a stage performance and the way in which the tension inherent in what is probably the most famous of Shakespear'es speeches "To be or not to be...." is electrified in a genuinely terrifying scene that reignites the power of these familiar words is fresh and exciting.
Riz Ahmed stars as a highly emotional and physical Hamlet and we very much see the play through his eyes (with some scenes in which Hamlet does not feature being excluded in this version). Art Malik plays the father Claudius brilliantly. Timothy Spall as Polonius is genius casting and results in a terirfic performamce, as is Morfydd Clark as Ophelia.
Hamlet returns home for his father's funeral and is shocked to learn that his uncle Claudius will now marry his widowed mother. When his father's ghost reveals that Claudius murdered him, Hamlet becomes consumed by revenge, questioning the corruption at the heart of the family’s business, and his own sanity.
This Hamlet is how Riz Ahmnet himself saw the role when he first read the play as a teenager. He brilliantly brings to life the internal struggle of being overwhelmed by injustice, whilst feeling you are being gaslit and, at the same time, losing your marbles.
A great film and a worthy reinterpretation of such a well known play.