Hamlet

Zeffirelli's third Shakesperean adaptation shows, more than anything else, that Mel Gibson, macho action hero of the MAD MAX and LETHAL WEAPON films, can act--though his dueling scenes are still his best moments. Zeffirelli's production is neither high art nor lowbrow pandering, but something in between. This is "Hamlet for the 90s," according to the director, but we can't think of any exact reason why. With much of the text pruned, the pace quickened, and the action streamlined, the film offers what amounts to a comic book intro to Shakespeare's classic, retaining few of the play's psychological complexities. Like nouvelle cuisine, there's not as much on th...