Good concept in part, bad execution

Rating: 3/10 (1 March 2004)

I love Shakespeare made relevant through modern dress, etc., but the attempt to make Shakespeare's poetry sound "conversational" just didn't work for me. Nobody I know speaks conversationally in iambic pentameter. The language begs for a more stylized delivery. I did like many of the sets and the "rival gang" flavor however. The helicoptors and car chases were dramatic and something that I could easily accept as something Shakespeare might have included if he had written the play in the current era. I can see why many people enjoyed this film. I just couldn't accept Shakespeare's language in modern conversational tones. It made the acting seem abysmal in places and totally unbelievable throughtout. It often seemed as if the actors had no idea of the meaning of the words they spoke. I'm sure this was not true, but the delivery made it seem so.