Review of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1991) by Ned B — 04 Jul 2007

I wasn't sure, watching this movie, if it was as good as I thought it was. It was certainly odd. Perhaps the oddest movie I've ever seen, stealing the crown from, say, Being John Malkovich or After Hours.

Tim Roth, a favorite actor of mine, teamed up with Gary Oldman play two characters that are never quite explained in the context of the "real world". Instead, they are somehow transported to a living, breathing rendition of Hamlet by a magical troupe of actors, and have to come to terms with all of a sudden playing bit parts in something much larger and more sinister than them.

Featured are both excellent portrayals of Shakespeare's masterpiece, along with new material, wherein the two characters discuss the play, along with the more philosophical questions at hand, in short, the film seems like an existential question concerning what a bit character in a story has to look forward to in life, which, in turn, can be turned outwardly to us, who, much like the eponymous duo, are never told just what the hell was going on in the world before our final act.

Mix in with all this creative philosophy some of the best wordplay since Shakespeare himself (A game of questions played on a tennis court had me literally rolling on the floor) along with flawless performances and rather good set work, if I may say so, and what you have is a marvelous, underlooked gem of a film that keeps you thinking-and laughing-from beginning to end.

On a side note, if you are not familiar with Hamlet, most of this might go over your head. Read the play first.