Visually, the movie is arresting. I like stark, dramatic images, and this movie delivers them. Also, I think the screenplay adaptation is quite well-done, although events are so compressed at the end that there's a major shift in tone from relatively realistic at the beginning to terribly stage-bound at the end. The irony is that the realistic scenes at the beginning are largely interior shots, and the end of the movie is filmed out doors, on location at the famous disused power plant that featured so famously on the cover of Pink Floyd's "Animals" album. And the real reason that the events seem compressed and stage-bound at the end is that, after all, this is a play, and one that, in spite of its obvious brilliance, also suffers from some serious faults. Shakespeare's historical plays tended toward abrupt, "abracadabra" endings, often because to analyze things too deeply might carry unpleasant consequences for the author. Queen Elizabeth (herself a Tudor and granddaughter of the man who supplanted Richard) would have been angry with Shakespeare if he had strayed too far from the long-established Tudor line about the evils of the Yorkists, and Richard especially. So the ending is contrived and foreshortened.
The performances are studies in contrasts. McKellen, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Nigel Hawthorne...in fact, most of the British cast as far as I can remember, carry off their roles exceptionally well, and there are no bad performances among them. The two unfortunate casting choices are Annette Benning and, to an even greater degree, Robert Downey Jr. I've never particularly cared for either of them, although in the right role they have at least limited abilities. These are not the right roles. Every line is delivered with a wooden, empty quality. It's clear that neither of them had any idea about how to approach their roles. Expressions, mannerisms, emphasis, accent, tone are all exaggerated and wrong. The movie comes to a screeching halt every time either one of them is on camera. The only shot which works for either of them is when Downey descends the steps of a plane and climbs into a limousine...tellingly, he doesn't say a word. In that single shot, the American swagger and presumption that the filmmakers were implying works for them.
Any other complaints I might make about this movie are mere quibbles, especially in the context of the colossally bad performances from the Americans. The movie is still highly watchable, in spite of them. I've watched it probably half a dozen times, and I'm sure I'll watch it again. Certain scenes resonate: The opening scene, the meeting between Richard and the assassins, Gloucester in the prison, the party rally, the meeting of the privy council. These scenes are flawlessly done, to my taste at any rate.
As to the quality of the adaptation from Shakespeare's original, I think that's a matter of taste. I'm no professional scholar, but I have read all of Shakespeare's plays, and I've read Richard III at least three or four times over the years. I've seen it performed on stage and in film several times as well. And I've read quite a bit about the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor age. This film is certainly a stretch from the original play, and certain things (as others have pointed out) don't seem very credible, such as the accusation of witchcraft. But these historical anachronisms don't bother me. Politicians use empty accusations and false charges to maneuver themselves; that much certainly hasn't changed. Mostly, I'm interested in an enjoyable movie experience, and overall this film provides it.
It's just a pity that the movie can't be redone with more suitable actors to replace Benning and Downey.
The performances are studies in contrasts. McKellen, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Nigel Hawthorne...in fact, most of the British cast as far as I can remember, carry off their roles exceptionally well, and there are no bad performances among them. The two unfortunate casting choices are Annette Benning and, to an even greater degree, Robert Downey Jr. I've never particularly cared for either of them, although in the right role they have at least limited abilities. These are not the right roles. Every line is delivered with a wooden, empty quality. It's clear that neither of them had any idea about how to approach their roles. Expressions, mannerisms, emphasis, accent, tone are all exaggerated and wrong. The movie comes to a screeching halt every time either one of them is on camera. The only shot which works for either of them is when Downey descends the steps of a plane and climbs into a limousine...tellingly, he doesn't say a word. In that single shot, the American swagger and presumption that the filmmakers were implying works for them.
Any other complaints I might make about this movie are mere quibbles, especially in the context of the colossally bad performances from the Americans. The movie is still highly watchable, in spite of them. I've watched it probably half a dozen times, and I'm sure I'll watch it again. Certain scenes resonate: The opening scene, the meeting between Richard and the assassins, Gloucester in the prison, the party rally, the meeting of the privy council. These scenes are flawlessly done, to my taste at any rate.
As to the quality of the adaptation from Shakespeare's original, I think that's a matter of taste. I'm no professional scholar, but I have read all of Shakespeare's plays, and I've read Richard III at least three or four times over the years. I've seen it performed on stage and in film several times as well. And I've read quite a bit about the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor age. This film is certainly a stretch from the original play, and certain things (as others have pointed out) don't seem very credible, such as the accusation of witchcraft. But these historical anachronisms don't bother me. Politicians use empty accusations and false charges to maneuver themselves; that much certainly hasn't changed. Mostly, I'm interested in an enjoyable movie experience, and overall this film provides it.
It's just a pity that the movie can't be redone with more suitable actors to replace Benning and Downey.