Spoilers: Don't read if you don't want to know about any characters death in advance. First off, I don't know a lot about Shakespeare. I don't know how loyal this film is to his original script, and thats not what I was looking for when I was watching. Honestly, I'm one of those who have 'old language' issues when I go see a movie. Indeed, I didn't even know the story of Richard III when I first saw this. Despite this, I loved this movie. Ian McKellen plays a deliciously evil man on his way up the royal ladder. To start, he kills the King, then while the queen sits at his coffin, comes to confess to her. In an performance dripping with slime, he claims his love for her was so great, he had no choice but to kill her husband. His speech oozes as he convinces her that if she doesn't accept his love, he'll kill himself. Sounds like something from "Melrose Place", I know. His character only gets dirtier as he then kills, or manipulates others to kill all those around him. Ian plays Richard as a man who enjoys the nasty things he does, and I enjoyed watching him worm his way. Annette Bening is fantastic and Robert Downey has one of the best deaths I've seen on film. The clothes and sets add to the movie perfectly. Instead of kingly robes, class and pageantry is displayed with slick uniforms and cigarette holders. The wartime setting is the perfect background and gives this classic story a modern feel.
Review of Richard III
Richard III
(1995)
Richard plays all around him like pawns on a chessboard as he fills his desire for power.
11 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers