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List Price: $9.99 | | Label: Miramax
Salesrank: 43037
Released: August 5, 2003 |
| Our Price: $4.88 |
| Used Price: $3.42 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Dynamic big-screen favorite Gabriel Byrne (GHOST SHIP) stars with Helen Mirren (GOSFORD PARK), Christian Bale (EQUILIBRIUM, REIGN OF FIRE), Kate Beckinsale (SERENDIPITY, PEARL HARBOR), and Brian Cox (X2: X-MEN UNITED, THE RING) in one of the year's most powerful looks at passion and betrayal among royalty. A young prince, after discovering that his father has been murdered, vows to avenge the death and regain the crown. Plotting his revenge, he cleverly bides his time ... waiting and watching -- and hoping -- for the precise moment to execute the deadly plan! Get ready for edge-of-your-seat suspense ... ROYAL DECEIT is riveting motion picture entertainment!
Royal Deceit Reviews:
Not Exactly Shakespeare, But Very Entertaining 
2009-05-17 - Royal Deceit is two things I love. First, it's based on the story on which William Shakespeare based Hamlet, and I love all things related to the Bard. It's especially interesting seeing an alternative work from the same source material. Second, it's one of the lesser-known works of Gabriel Byrne, who's done so much good work other than The Usual Suspects (see Into the West, Smilla's Sense of Snow. And yes, I'll confess to harboring a certain affection for his portrayal of Father Andrew Kiernan in Stigmata).
Netflix describes this film as Hamlet "with a more Viking feel," and that description is fairly accurate. It makes Hamlet/Amled less English and more Danish than Shakespeare's telling, a change for the better. It also makes him less conflicted and more cunning. Christian Bale plays him fearlessly, barking like a dog, crowing like a rooster and all. Oh, and by the way, apologies to Robert Pattinson, but Teenage Christian Bale is still the prettiest underaged thing to walk this planet.
Hails from source material, but feels awkward 
2009-01-31 - The movie manages to diminish good actors, and to unwittingly showcase their performances in a mocking tone. It's not bad acting, it's unintentionally bad filmmaking. Rough and tumble. I think the most succinct way to describe this movie would be to cite its conventional cinematography which attempts to belie it's low-budget, but only reveals it in a pointed and relentlessly awkward way. I rented this film because of its superb cast (Helen Mirren! Christian Bayle! Tom Wilkinson! Gabriel Byrne! Brian Cox! Kate Beckinsale!) and because of the exciting prospect of seeing a film based on the actual legend of Hamlet, as historically penned by the Danes, which inspired Shakespeare's play. However, this is a case of great performances that are slighted by awkward camera angles, misdirection, and a very low-budget. I was astonished to see the film was made in 1994. The film stock quality had convinced me that this was made for television in the early 1980s. This film is good to see if you are a filmmaker yourself, and trying to learn the craft, which often times can benefit from seeing a badly shot film as much as a well shot film.
Quick ship - Perfect Condition 
2008-07-10 - What an awful "play" on Hamlet. With such good acters (Helen Mirren!!), I expected a really well done movie. The acting seemed forced, the plot ridiculous - unlike Shakepeare's Hamlet. Very badly directed.
What a complete waste of talent & source material 
2007-06-30 - This movie could have been so good! Drawing from Saxo Grammaticus rather than Shakespeare, the movie aims to present the Hamlet story in a more historical context. This is quite laudable, and certainly the producers had a more than talented cast at their disposal, but this was an opportunity completely squandered. I can only assume that this was done on a shoestring budget, since there seem to be only 2 dozen extras available at any given time & the battle scenes are nothing short of laughable. Still, one can tell a good story and manage to pinch the pennies. The story told here is disjointed, poorly constructed, and far too abbreviated. 85 minutes simply does not allow for the development of either plot or character, and the movie suffers badly as a result. This was a huge disappointment, and only the performances by Byrne & Mirren begin to salvage it. I suppose renting it wouldn't be a complete waste --- it certainly won't be a waste of time, since it's over almost as soon as it has begun --- but only a lunatic would spend money on this dud.
Castles and Kings 
2007-01-28 - Features a younger Christian Bale (made in 1993). Gabriel Byrne is great, as usual, as the brother of the king, who murders the king. Bale is the son of the king, and feigns madness when his father is murdered-mainly to stay alive and let his uncle claim the throne. Revenge comes later. Based on legend. Different, and entertaining.
