Synopsis
A murderous lust for the British throne sees Richard III descend into madness. Though the setting is transposed to the 1930s, England is torn by civil war, split between the rivaling houses of York and Lancaster. Richard aspires to a fascist dictatorship, but must first remove the obstacles to his ascension—among them his brother, his nephews and his brother's wife. When the Duke of Buckingham deserts him, Richard's plans are compromised.
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Cast
- Ian McKellenRichard III
- Annette BeningQueen Elizabeth
- Jim BroadbentThe Duke of Buckingham
- Robert Downey Jr.Earl Rivers
- Kristin Scott ThomasLady Anne
- Adrian DunbarJames Tyrrell
- Maggie SmithDuchess of York
- Tim McInnernyWilliam Catesby
- Edward HardwickeLord Stanley
- Nigel HawthorneThe Duke of Clarence
Recommendations
- 100
Time Out London
Rarely has a film used London’s landmarks so cannily, and rarely has screen Shakespeare been so sharp and satisfying. - 100
The Guardian
The “fascist” staging could have been hackneyed, but Loncraine carries it off superbly as the showcase for action-thriller noir. - 100
San Francisco Chronicle
A good rule of thumb for Richard III is that if it's not fun, somebody's doing something wrong. Nothing's wrong here. Some of the unexpected visual touches are brilliant, others simply entertaining. But the picture never stops coming at you. - 100
RogerEbert.com
This is a film with a dread fascination. McKellen occupies it like a poisonous spider in its nest. - 90
Los Angeles Times
Made with gusto, daring and visual brilliance, this stripped-down, jazzed-up “Richard” pulsates with bloody life, a triumph of both modernization and popularization. - 89
Austin Chronicle
The cast, a who's who of British stars, is terrific, filling the drama with urgency. But driving it is Richard, is McKellen's towering performance, which seems embodied in his face, the left half sloping down, like a cliff sliding into the sea or like it's being pulled slowly -- fatefully -- to hell. - 80
Empire
Rigorous adaptation of the notoriously "difficult" play. - 80
The New York Times
For all the talk nowadays about a revival of swank, nothing in contemporary fashion can compete with the glamour of upper-class English life in the 1930's as it is elegantly caricatured in Ian McKellen's updated Richard III.
