"William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice" features yet another showy Al Pacino performance. This time he's playing the Bard's most misunderstood character, the vengeful Jewish moneylender Shylock.
But as much fun as it is to see Pacino chew some Shakespearean scenery, both the role and the movie could have used a more likable actor — say, someone like Dustin Hoffman, who actually lobbied to play the part in director Michael Radford's big-screen production.
Also, this sometimes-too-serious movie could have used a lot more humor. After all, the play is supposed to be one of Shakespeare's comedies.
Still, there's something refreshingly different about this adaptation, which tries to add a little context to things (there's even a "crawl" at the start discussing the ethnic sensitivities of the time period). And that's not just to combat accusations about this material being anti-Semitic, but to give it a real-life component, to make it appear more truthful.
The title refers to Antonio (Jeremy Irons), a cash-strapped trader. His best friend, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes), has hit him up for a loan — so he can go abroad and woo the wealthy Portia (Lynn Collins).
Unfortunately, Antonio can't come up with the sum and is forced to turn to Shylock, with whom he's had problems in the past. To Antonio's surprise, Shylock agrees to lend them the money — but at a price. If he defaults on the loan, Shylock will have his pound of flesh.
Unbeknownst to all three men, some of Bassanio's friends have made off with Shylock's daughter, Jessica (Zuleikha Robinson), as well as more of his vast treasury. So when the furious Shylock finds out, he goes to the Duke to get a judgment and exact his revenge.
This is certainly the most sympathetic role Irons has played in quite some time. He's quietly effective as the well-intentioned merchant. However, despite Pacino's strength and the fierceness of his performance, he is not the most endearing Shylock.
Still, Pacino is considerably more endearing than Fiennes' Bassanio, who comes across as pretty self-centered. It's a shame Cate Blanchett didn't get to play Portia (she had to drop out due to pregnancy), but Collins acquits herself nicely.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com