...And 5 That Sucked
5. Hamlet - Hamlet
Adapting Shakespeare is a challenge at the best of times, yet when attempting a bold, contemporary take, you're almost guaranteed to be divisive. Such is true of the 2000 Hawke-starring Hamlet, which keeps the character names and Shakespearean dialogue, though shifts the setting to a techno-centric New York City. Seen by most as the minor leagues of all the cinematic Hamlet adaptations, Hawke struggles to keep up with the likes of Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Olivier, who seemed far more at home with the dialogue than Hawke does. The actor doesn't really seem to know what to do with the character; the performance here is oddly flat, lacking emotion and therefore coming off as one-note. Though there are occasional flashes of inspiration, on the whole this one is an admirable failure.