By His Own Creed

Of course most Hamlets rise and fall, largely on the performance of the star and Hawke is simply not up to the task: He has neither the charisma nor the gravitas to pull it off. He comes across like a pale imitation of Tom Cruise, who would have been better in the part (if we could only forget that he's Tom Cruise).

The other actors are a mixed bag. Murray always does great work in supporting roles, and he should have been perfect for a modern Polonius, but, alas, he seems completely at sea here. This is Stiles's second modernized Shakespeare outing (she was the shrew who got tamed in 10 Things I Hate About You), and she's even worse this time. Zahn, playing somewhat the same character as in Out of Sight, is perfect as a seemingly drug-addled Rosencrantz. As Laertes Liev Schreiber, who clearly has done Shakespeare before, handily comes off the best. And MacLachlan, who has usually been disappointing when not directed by David Lynch, is surprisingly good; he gives Claudius the same sort of banal, selfish corporate evil that Fred MacMurray brilliantly embodied in The Apartment.

Larry Riley

It's the prince of Denmark again, and Shakespeare never sounded or looked so weird

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Despite the few good performances, this Hamlet is not a keeper.