Grand Theft Hamlet
Trying to find purpose and amusement during the UK's third COVID pandemic lockdown, actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen decided to try and stage Shakespeare's Hamlet within the world of Grand Theft Auto Online, giving way to something more like "Grand Theft Hamlet."
Laura's Review: B+
Crane, who wrote and directed with his wife Pinny Grylls, who appears in Grand Theft Auto (GTA) as 'the filmmaker' in a hip hairdo and a skeleton-patterned leather bustier jumpsuit, and his friend Mark are coming from different places, Sam married with kids while Mark, single, is more completely committed to the project, as we will see when things begin to get bumpy. But the friends and Sam's wife persevere and what they have accomplished is not just the most unconventional staging of 'Hamlet' to date, one which not only won them the British 2022 Stage Awards' Innovation Award, but which revealed a raft of talent within the gaming community. Along with "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin," "Grand Theft Hamlet" introduces non-gaming audiences into a virtual world far richer than most might imagine, while also entertaining with the sheer madness of its concept.
The juxtaposition of a violent video game with a Shakespearean play can clearly be mined for humor. After locating the Hollywood Bowl-inspired Vinewood bowl (a Vinewood sign is visible in the background, just like the Hollywood sign) and deciding it is the perfect space, they'll have to plead with folks agreeing to audition not to kill each other or shoot the actors. When they head to a beach to create a recruitment video to find additional actors, they're taken out by a police SWAT team, cops rappelling down lines from helicopters above. Sam and Mark will be 'WASTED' multiple times in their quest.
That won't be the only obstacle in their path. One of their first promising actors is a game character called DJ Phil, but it turns out to be someone's aunt using her nephew's login and when they next locate DJ, it's the nephew who tells them she's left. ParTeb whose avatar is a green lizard-like alien of sorts, doesn't speak recognizable English, but sticks with the project until the end. Then Dipo Ola astounds with his Hamlet reading and the lead is cast!
The main trio are really trying to accomplish something here - they even call the National Theater - and they are impressive with their virtual community building, using GTA's utilities to reach out to cast their production. A player named BT Raidrz drops in on a plane and while he doesn't communicate much, becomes their de factor stage manager, transporting cast and crew to different locations. Also amusing is how the game intrudes, informing us of such things as how to earn extra points by robbing as many vehicles as one can within a limited amount of time or that 'your personal vehicle has been impounded.' Player deaths are routinely reported on a lower left hand scroll.
Sam, Mark and Pinny hit a major bump as COVID begins to ease and lockdowns are lifted. Diplo informs them that he's gotten a real job and cannot commit the time to play the lead, stepping into the role of Laertes while Sam steps into his. Pinny tells Sam he's neglecting their real life, having even forgotten her birthday, but they carry on. After deciding to move the production around various locations, they have to figure out how to bring the audience along with them. As they prepare to actually put on the show, they rejoice that they have twenty-one people signed on waiting to watch, having thought no one would be interested (they don't report the final number of viewers). Pinny will have to remind the cast that they cannot stop the production just because someone dies, but the only major bump they experience is a Blimp which crashes.
We never see the entire production of Hamlet, but are shown enough highlights to showcase the cast and give us a general feel for it and while the live stream could warrant its own film, Sam and Pinny's choice to exhibit what went into it is fascinating. A player named Gareth opines about how the American violence and materialism embedded in GTA applies to Hamlet. And after watching Sam's aqua-haired avatar along with the rest for most of the film's run time, we finally see the people behind the characters joyously winning their Stage award. "Grand Theft Hamlet," which has won multiple awards on the festival circuit as well as the British Independent Film and London Critics Circle Film's best documentary award, is fascinating on multiple levels as well as being sheer entertainment.
Robin's Review: B+
The COVID-19 lockdown wreaked havoc on us all, especially actors unable to ply their trade. Two such thesps, Sam and Mark, filled the downtime playing Grand Theft Auto Online. Then, an idea: use the video game to stage their rendition of Shakespeare in “Grand Theft Hamlet.”
I have to admit, I feel like a fish out of water watching “GTH.” The last video game I played was probably Pong, so the technical sophistication of modern gaming makes me feel like a Neanderthal. (Although, “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” did introduce me to interactive gaming, so I have a (little) knowledge of the art form.)
That said, I think there is an audience for “Grand Theft Hamlet,” but it cannot be much more than niche auds – maybe (and hope) I am wrong. There must be a boatload of gamers out there who may have some interest in the concept. But are they fans of Bill Shakespeare? The answer is a bit elusive considering Sam and Mark, and director and Sam’s girlfriend, Pinny, are unemployed actors bored with COVID.
What comes through in this video “documentary” is how to put on a play in times of COVID. S&M, actors both, come up with the “GTH” concept and try it solo, after finding a hidden amphitheater, the Vinewood Bowl, within the game. But, they are in a game where it is kill or be killed and others, not interested in the Tragedy of Hamlet, kill them both dead.
It becomes apparent that they cannot do the play alone and they begin the process of interviewing virtual actors for the roles. Remember, now, that we were in the throes of the pandemic and life was in constant flux. As such, many would show interest in the project and get involved, only to drop out after getting a job or having a baby.
As such, this is a work in progress in progress. The intent, the filmmakers say, is to do the complete Hamlet within the context of the film. But, with the ebb and flow of players coming in and out and other players coming in to cause havoc and kill, that proved hard to achieve. Do not expect a linear telling of Will S’s play. Instead, it is with a sequence acts and scenes, not in order, but touching on the highlights of the play – like Hamlet meeting his dead father’s ghost – that viewers will readily recognize.
“Grand Theft Hamlet” is a great example of how creative people deal with life’s crises at a time of great turmoil. It has been quite a while since we had a film come out on how we coped with COVID. I hope we never have to do that again.
Mubi releases "Grand Theft Hamlet" in select theaters and to stream on their service on 1/17/25.
