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The Merchant of Venice

Play trailer Poster for The Merchant of Venice R 2004 2h 11m Comedy Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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72% Tomatometer 125 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In 16th-century Venice, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) hopes to wed Portia (Lynn Collins). But to have a chance at winning her hand in marriage, he needs to have a lot of money -- a critical resource he lacks. And because Bassanio's rich friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons) is unable to help, he's forced to make a deadly deal with pitiless moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino). Bassanio will get his money -- and without paying interest. If he doesn't pay it back, however, he will owe Shylock a pound of his flesh.
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The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

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Critics Consensus

A respectable if uneven take on the Bard's The Merchant of Venice.

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Critics Reviews

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Will Self London Evening Standard 12/20/2017
I've decided to be merciful to Michael Radford's meat and-potatoes, 21st-century, politically correct, GCSE-student version of The Merchant of Venice. Go to Full Review David Stratton At the Movies (Australia) 07/10/2009
3/5
The text is wonderful, Radford's film has some fine performances from Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes, and he makes good use of Venice locations. Go to Full Review David Rooney Variety 07/04/2008
Pacino is at least dynamic, something harder to say about the women in the cast. Go to Full Review Steve Cramer The List 04/23/2019
2/5
Al Pacino's Shylock is strong, intense, and powerful, yet he gets little support from the cast. Go to Full Review Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) 08/24/2017
Lovely to look at, but like the famous caskets that Portia uses to test her suitors, its very beauty hides a weird core. Go to Full Review Don Groves sbs.com.au 01/03/2011
3/5
Pacino seeks his pound of flesh as a tragic outsider. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alec B @Alec97 11/20/2024 Its a thoughtful adaptation that adds some interesting historical context without abandoning the plays odd little quirks. This is one of Pacino's best performances and its great to see something from him post 1990 that isn't all shouting or him bored out of his mind. See more Aender S @RT01933294 04/21/2024 I never could get into the groove of Shakespeare's plays. Their language's too artificial and antiquated, making them even partly unintelligible to me. Plus I never liked the ridiculous mannerisms of actors playing classic plays. Still, the movie's not bad. First because of Al Pacino's excellent performance, which stands in contrast to what I just wrote before. And the sets are beautiful, artificial and original alike. See more Maria A @MimiLaMala 10/16/2023 Excellent Shakespeare adaptation. The brilliant acting makes the text accessible to all. Beautiful. Classic. See more Evan M @RT28061058 08/15/2021 Outstanding solid rendition of Shakespeare's best play. See more steve d @RT35616104 06/28/2020 A fantastic adaptation of a difficult drama (at least by today's standards) Pacino is mesmerizing. See more Daniel N @RT31586412 05/25/2020 Michael Radford truly understood and recreated the main idea of this awesome novel, even though Al Pacino stole the show, he did it for good in this remarkable film. See more Read all reviews
The Merchant of Venice

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Radford

Director

Al Pacino

Shylock

Jeremy Irons

Antonio

Joseph Fiennes

Bassanio

Lynn Collins

Portia

Zuleikha Robinson

Jessica

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The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice (2004) The Merchant of Venice (2004) A scene from the film William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice directed by Michael Radford. A scene from the film William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice directed by Michael Radford. A scene from the film William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice directed by Michael Radford. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 16th-century Venice, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) hopes to wed Portia (Lynn Collins). But to have a chance at winning her hand in marriage, he needs to have a lot of money -- a critical resource he lacks. And because Bassanio's rich friend Antonio (Jeremy Irons) is unable to help, he's forced to make a deadly deal with pitiless moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino). Bassanio will get his money -- and without paying interest. If he doesn't pay it back, however, he will owe Shylock a pound of his flesh.
Director
Michael Radford
Producer
Cary Brokaw, Michael Cowan, Barry Navidi, Jason Piette
Screenwriter
William Shakespeare
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Avenue Pictures Productions, Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Delux Productions, Arc Light Films, Navidi-Wilde Productions Ltd.
Rating
R (Some Nudity)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 29, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 6, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.8M
Runtime
2h 11m
Sound Mix
Surround