Al Pacino is terrific in this film. I loved his performance. Jeremy Irons is also great.
I would have rated this film even higher, but it is based on Shakespeare's play, and Shakespeare did not handle this play's plot very well. He put a comic romantic scene near the end of what is otherwise a very tragic story. This "rings" scene near the end makes no sense to me. It does not fit in with the rest of the film, either in storyline or emotional tone. And because this scene comes near the end, it ruins what until this point had been a terrific cinematic experience.
I would have rated this film even higher, but it is based on Shakespeare's play, and Shakespeare did not handle this play's plot very well. He put a comic romantic scene near the end of what is otherwise a very tragic story. This "rings" scene near the end makes no sense to me. It does not fit in with the rest of the film, either in storyline or emotional tone. And because this scene comes near the end, it ruins what until this point had been a terrific cinematic experience.