I think/hope we have a new Shakespeare actor/director. This is a really intelligent take on a great play and John Logan deserves a big shout out for his excellent adaptation. All the actors shine and this incredible, rarely performed play really comes to life in the 21st Century. Fiennes is a much better director than I even hoped and brings the same subtlety and levels of nuance to his work behind the camera that he does to his acting work. One of the best Shakespeare films ever made.

Updated underrated political Shakespeare drama viewed through G20 riots, Yugoslavian wars, rise of right-wing populism and first-person shooters. Fiennes knows the story he wants to tell and what makes it relevant today, and a good cast led by Vanessa Redgrave. Unfortunately Shakespeare's script calls for it to be more a meditation on the meaning of honour than the problems of defending democracy with undemocratic means, and after a brilliant first hour it drags a bit during the second.

"Though the film's feel is pure Iraq and Afghanistan, Fiennes doesn't push those parallels unduly, and his central performances prove clear, nuanced, and incisive." - Nick Schager

Many hated this film for setting the story by Shakespeare in the present day, wanting his language modernized as well. I completely disagree. The language, along with the acting, make the film. I love the wordings and the large performances that they somehow allow for. Without this dynamic, we'd have been left with a pretty standard storyline. Fiennes, Cox and Redgrave are all on fire, chewing on the delicious lines, but James Nesbitt is perhaps my overall favorite.