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Grand Theft Hamlet

Play trailer 1:37 Poster for Grand Theft Hamlet R Released Jan 17 1h 29m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 76 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, two out-of-work actors, Sam and Mark, face a bleak future. Desperate for purpose, they stumble upon an idea: stage Shakespeare's Hamlet within the ultra-violent world of Grand Theft Auto Online. Shot entirely in-game, GRAND THEFT HAMLET explores their attempt to merge classical theatre with a chaotic digital landscape. With stunning visuals and unexpected moments of reflection, this engaging documentary examines how ancient cultural narratives can still resonate in new, virtual spaces, raising questions about art, isolation, and the digital world’s potential for storytelling.
Grand Theft Hamlet

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A startling example of using any tools at your disposal to make memorable art, Grand Theft Hamlet's experimental approach does justice by the Bard.

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Critics Reviews

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William Bibbiani TheWrap If there is one disappointing element of this moving, amusing, sad and memorable film it’s that it isn’t five hours long. Jan 18, 2025 Full Review Amy Nicholson Los Angeles Times To be an artist, or not to be? That is the question of “Grand Theft Hamlet" Jan 18, 2025 Full Review Alison Willmore New York Magazine/Vulture Grand Theft Hamlet is not just a lark, but a savvy project from stalled-out creatives hoping to make something of all this spare time. Jan 17, 2025 Full Review Mel Valentin That Shelf Grand Theft Hamlet's structure keeps its themes from being examined with any real depth, but it more than compensates through its unique virtual-only approach and its frequent moments of authentic, genuine human connection through co-op gameplay. Apr 26, 2025 Full Review Simon Miraudo Movie Squad (RTRFM 92.1) The hardest I laughed during a movie all year, and it wasn't close. Rated: 4.5/5 Mar 14, 2025 Full Review M.V. Moorhead Less Hat, Moorhead An amusing and sometimes touching ode to the vagaries of making theatre. Feb 25, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Elsie M Very original concept. Hilarious moments. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/26/25 Full Review Jamarcus This was a cute movie. Definitely if your a fan of GTA and Shakespeare then give it a look. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Yuki what a heartwarming movie. Hilarious and amazing concept. I hope GTA sponsors them to make more acts like this. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/25 Full Review Paul T Revisiting the pandemic is a surprisingly funny setting for a look at the need for socialization and goals Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/25 Full Review Trevor M Grand Theft Hamlet is such a bizarre and unique experience that it’s difficult to put into words exactly what it’s like. Having spent a significant amount of time playing Grand Theft Auto and an entire semester studying Hamlet and its adaptations in film school, I might be the ideal audience for this documentary. But even with that background, I walked away from this film with a new perspective on quite a few things. Let’s get something out of the way: this is not your typical movie, nor even your typical documentary. It’s not just another YouTube gaming video, either. Instead, it’s a strange and fascinating fusion of filmmaking, live theater, an open-world video game, improv, and a constant influx of real-world drama seeping in from the outside. This is a film that could only have emerged from the COVID lockdown era. While many other projects attempt to erase or distance themselves from that time, Grand Theft Hamlet embraces the darkness, lays itself bare, and in doing so, reveals something deeply human. What I expected to be a silly gimmick turned out to be something profoundly moving. Beneath the chaos and absurdity, there’s a consistent undercurrent of existentialism, loneliness, and the struggle to navigate a world in turmoil. The film captures how you need other people, but how they can also be the very thing that gets you killed—mirroring the themes of Hamlet itself. There’s a beautifully tragic symmetry in that parallel, and it resonates in a raw, unfiltered way. The technical imperfections—poor audio, chaotic game lobbies, unreliable players who are just as likely to shoot you as become lifelong friends—don’t detract from the experience. Instead, they enhance it. The world of GTA Online never stops moving, indifferent to the players’ attempts to stage Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy within it. That unpredictability adds to the film’s charm and depth. One of the most striking aspects of Grand Theft Hamlet is how the filmmakers engage with the game world in ways most players never do. Instead of treating Los Santos as just a playground for destruction, they immerse themselves in its spaces. The film captures everyday life in the city—NPCs going about their routines, overlooked locations that suddenly feel rich with meaning, and AI-generated dialogue that, by sheer accident, delivers hilariously well-timed lines during serious moments of performance. Without giving too much away, Grand Theft Hamlet is a testament to ingenuity, persistence, and the strange magic that happens when comedy, chaos, and introspection collide. It’s no surprise that the project earned an award for its live performance—this isn’t just some silly gimmick. There’s real depth here. And if you give it a chance, you might just find something unexpectedly profound within the madness. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/29/25 Full Review Bob A This is brilliant. It really works well, and is engaging, surprisingly moving, and sometimes hilarious. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/21/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Grand Theft Hamlet

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, two out-of-work actors, Sam and Mark, face a bleak future. Desperate for purpose, they stumble upon an idea: stage Shakespeare's Hamlet within the ultra-violent world of Grand Theft Auto Online. Shot entirely in-game, GRAND THEFT HAMLET explores their attempt to merge classical theatre with a chaotic digital landscape. With stunning visuals and unexpected moments of reflection, this engaging documentary examines how ancient cultural narratives can still resonate in new, virtual spaces, raising questions about art, isolation, and the digital world’s potential for storytelling.
Director
Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane
Producer
Rebecca Wolff, Julia Ton
Screenwriter
Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane
Distributor
MUBI
Production Co
Project 1961, Grasp The Nettle Films
Rating
R (Language and Some Violence)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 17, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 21, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA)
$141.9K
Runtime
1h 29m