Synopsis
Venice, 1596. Bassanio begs his friend Antonio, a prosperous merchant, to lend him a large sum of money so that he can woo Portia, a very wealthy heiress; but Antonio has invested his fortune abroad, so they turn to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, and ask him for a loan.
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Cast
- Al PacinoShylock
- Jeremy IronsAntonio
- Joseph FiennesBassanio
- Lynn CollinsPortia
- Zuleikha RobinsonJessica
- Kris MarshallGratiano
- Charlie CoxLorenzo
- Heather GoldenhershNerissa
- Mackenzie CrookLancelot Gobbo
- John SessionsSalerio
Recommendations
- 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Pacino gives a keenly measured performance, leading an excellent British cast through their paces in a richly colorful production that should please selective audiences and adds to the list of major film adaptations of Shakespeare's work. - 80
Los Angeles Times
What Radford above all accomplishes in his filming of The Merchant of Venice is to suggest that, in essence, it is that most modern of entertainments: a dark - indeed, very dark - comedy. - 75
USA Today
Given the story's focus on religion and the intolerance that still rages in today's world, The Merchant of Venice remains deeply meaningful. - 70
Variety
Despite a series of disclaimers about the treatment of Jews in the 16th century, there's even less disguising onscreen than onstage that this is an uncomfortably anti-Semitic play and somewhat problematic for contempo audiences. - 70
The New York Times
Btter-than-average screen Shakespeare: intelligent without being showily clever, and motivated more by genuine fascination with the play's language and ideas than by a desire to cannibalize its author's cultural prestige. - 63
ReelViews
Intriguing but ultimately unfulfilling. - 50
The A.V. Club
When the halves of the film collide in the courtroom climax, it looks like a misbegotten pilot for Law & Order: Usury Victims Unit. - 50
Village Voice
Pacino simply wipes the cobblestones with the rest of the cast: His beautifully calibrated performance is lucid, commanding, and genuinely tragic.
