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      The Merchant of Venice

      R Released Dec 29, 2004 2 hr. 11 min. Comedy Drama List
      72% 126 Reviews Tomatometer 72% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score In 16th-century Venice, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) hopes to wed Portia (Lynn Collins). But to have a chance at winning her hand in marriage, he needs to have a lot of money -- a critical resource he lacks. And because Bassanio's rich friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons) is unable to help, he's forced to make a deadly deal with pitiless moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino). Bassanio will get his money -- and without paying interest. If he doesn't pay it back, however, he will owe Shylock a pound of his flesh. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Aug 29 Buy Now

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      The Merchant of Venice

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      Critics Consensus

      A respectable if uneven take on the Bard's The Merchant of Venice.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Aender S I never could get into the groove of Shakespeare's plays. Their language's too artificial and antiquated, making them even partly unintelligible to me. Plus I never liked the ridiculous mannerisms of actors playing classic plays. Still, the movie's not bad. First because of Al Pacino's excellent performance, which stands in contrast to what I just wrote before. And the sets are beautiful, artificial and original alike. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/21/24 Full Review Maria A Excellent Shakespeare adaptation. The brilliant acting makes the text accessible to all. Beautiful. Classic. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/16/23 Full Review Daisy M This movie is so beautiful and tragic and suspenseful. I love it. It's the fucking bomb. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/29/23 Full Review Evan M Outstanding solid rendition of Shakespeare's best play. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/03/23 Full Review steve d A fantastic adaptation of a difficult drama (at least by today's standards) Pacino is mesmerizing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Daniel N Michael Radford truly understood and recreated the main idea of this awesome novel, even though Al Pacino stole the show, he did it for good in this remarkable film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/25/20 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Merchant of Venice

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (126) Critics Reviews
      Will Self London Evening Standard I've decided to be merciful to Michael Radford's meat and-potatoes, 21st-century, politically correct, GCSE-student version of The Merchant of Venice. Dec 20, 2017 Full Review David Stratton At the Movies (Australia) The text is wonderful, Radford's film has some fine performances from Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes, and he makes good use of Venice locations. Rated: 3/5 Jul 10, 2009 Full Review David Rooney Variety Pacino is at least dynamic, something harder to say about the women in the cast. Jul 4, 2008 Full Review Steve Cramer The List Al Pacino's Shylock is strong, intense, and powerful, yet he gets little support from the cast. Rated: 2/5 Apr 23, 2019 Full Review Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) Lovely to look at, but like the famous caskets that Portia uses to test her suitors, its very beauty hides a weird core. Aug 24, 2017 Full Review Don Groves sbs.com.au Pacino seeks his pound of flesh as a tragic outsider. Rated: 3/5 Jan 3, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In 16th-century Venice, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) hopes to wed Portia (Lynn Collins). But to have a chance at winning her hand in marriage, he needs to have a lot of money -- a critical resource he lacks. And because Bassanio's rich friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons) is unable to help, he's forced to make a deadly deal with pitiless moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino). Bassanio will get his money -- and without paying interest. If he doesn't pay it back, however, he will owe Shylock a pound of his flesh.
      Director
      Michael Radford
      Executive Producer
      Edwige Fenech, Gary Hamilton, Michael Hammer, Peter James, Robert Jones, Pete Maggi, Alex Marshall, James Simpson
      Screenwriter
      Michael Radford, William Shakespeare
      Distributor
      Sony Pictures Classics
      Production Co
      Navidi-Wilde Productions Ltd., Delux Productions, Avenue Pictures Productions, Arc Light Films, Istituto Luce Cinecittà
      Rating
      R (Some Nudity)
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 29, 2004, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 6, 2012
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $3.8M
      Sound Mix
      Surround
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