Movie Ratings That Actually Work    Become a Member

"One of the 50 Coolest Websites...they simply tell it like it is" - TIME

Hamlet | 2000 | R | - 4.7.1

A modern-day adaptation set in Manhattan with Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) trying to avenge the death of his father, the CEO of the Denmark Corporation. Also with Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard, Diane Venora, Bill Murray, Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Steve Zahn, Jeffrey Wright, Casey Affleck, Karl Geary, Paula Malcomson and Dechen Thurman. [1:51]

SEX/NUDITY 4 - A little sexual innuendo and many kisses (most are fairly chaste, a few are passionate). A woman in a slip/nightgown sits behind her husband on a bed, unbuttons the top of his shirt, and kisses him passionately before he turns around and starts lying on top of her (the scene ends immediately afterwards). We see a film clip from what appears to be a pornographic movie: a man and woman wearing a slip kiss with their tongues, then we see the woman's facial expressions as she is presumably having intercourse. We see a classic painting of a nude female.

VIOLENCE/GORE 7 - A shot is fired at a mirror, then a person holding a bloody hand over one eye stumbles out from behind the mirror and falls face first on the ground (twice, we see an extremely bloody head wound with chunks of bone or brain lying in blood next to the head). Two people struggle over a gun, we hear two shots, then we see both people with very bloody clothing (we see one a few more times, with bloodier clothing and a bloody face). A person is shot several times; blood is visible on a railing when the body brushes against it while falling to the ground. Someone jumps into a pool, apparently trying to commit suicide, but it turns out to be a dream; however, in another scene we see a person floating in a fountain and then being pulled out after purposely drowning (we also see part of a grave-side funeral ceremony for this person). A person drinks poison and dies. A man puts points a gun at his head, under his chin, and into his mouth, but never pulls the trigger. In a film playing on a small TV in a video store, we see a large explosion and a man walking through very high flames; also, we see a film clip during which a man presumably drinks poison and begins stumbling while pretending to die. A man grabs another's jacket, pushes him, rolls down a hill with him, then briefly tries to choke him; a man with his arm wrapped around a woman's neck appears ready to strangle her with a sheet (he doesn't, though); a man shoves a woman to the floor, holds her around the neck, then pushes her face against a mirror; men grab another, shove him against a wall, then one man punches him very hard in the stomach; a woman slaps a man; a man grabs another's shirt and neck; a man grabs another's shoulders; a man pushes a woman; a man yells at others several times; and a man jumps into a grave and tries to open the casket. A person with bloody hands and a bloody shirt drags a corpse with a blood-soaked sheet covering its head (we see a small puddle of blood forming on the floor by the corpse's head at one point). Two people fence. Some threatening with guns.

LANGUAGE 1 - A few mild obscenities.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Murder, suicide, revenge, deception, apparitions, modern adaptations of Shakespeare, betrayal, grief, inner turmoil.

MESSAGE - Revenge is all-consuming and can have disastrous results.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $1/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

how to
support us

PLEASE DONATE

We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

NO MORE ADS!

Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter

Know when new reviews are published
We will never sell or share your email address with anybody and you can unsubscribe at any time

You're all set! Please check your email for confirmation.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This