Movie Review ~ Grand Theft Hamlet

Somewhere at the intersection of Shakespeare, digital theater, and online chaos, Grand Theft Hamlet carves out a genre all its own.  Premiering at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival and set for release on MUBI on February 21, this fascinating documentary turns a crime-ridden virtual city into an unexpectedly moving stage for one of the greatest plays ever written.  Imagine Waiting for Guffman, but inside Grand Theft Auto Online, complete with all the mishaps (and occasional homicides) that entails.

The film follows actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen as they attempt to stage a virtual Hamlet—not in a theater, but within the anarchic sandbox of GTA Online during COVID-19 lockdowns.  Their challenge? Delivering Shakespearean monologues while dodging griefers, gunfire, and the unpredictable chaos of an online world where players are typically more concerned with bloodshed than iambic pentameter.  Shot entirely using machinima techniques, Grand Theft Hamlet blurs the lines between classical performance and digital absurdity, creating something wildly funny and weirdly moving.

For those unfamiliar with GTA Online, no worries—the film is remarkably accessible, even for those of us who have never spent time in Rockstar’s digital underworld (I’m more of a Mario Kart lifer, thank you very much).  While the game’s aesthetic—gritty, neon-drenched, and perpetually on the verge of violence—might seem like an unlikely fit for Hamlet, it somehow works.  The contrast between Shakespeare’s existential musings and the game’s ever-present threat of random murder adds an unexpected dramatic tension.  Seeing Crane and Oosterveen plead with hostile players to let them live, “We’re just trying to do a play!” before getting unceremoniously sniped is ridiculously poignant.

Despite being filtered through punked-out avatars, the performances themselves are shockingly compelling.  Crane and Oosterveen take the work seriously, even as the universe (and heavily armed players) conspire against them.  Their cast, assembled from other lockdown-bound performers, does its best to navigate Shakespeare’s language while avoiding in-game lawlessness, leading to moments of pure, delightful anarchy.  Picture one actor delivering a soliloquy while their scene partner frantically provides cover from an oncoming gang war—there’s truly nothing else like it.

Technically, the film is remarkable.  Crane shares directing credit with his partner Pinny Grylls, and they’ve assembled countless hours of footage into a seamless, emotionally rich narrative.  The editing (by Grylls) is a feat in itself, weaving fragmented performances into a coherent whole while capturing the absurdity of mid-scene explosions and unexpected drive-by homicides.   Yet beyond the spectacle, Grand Theft Hamlet taps into something deeper: the universal need to create and connect, even when the world makes it seemingly impossible.

More than just a gimmick, the film is a love letter to the resilience of the art of theater and a wry commentary on the nonsensical nature of online spaces.  It suggests that storytelling persists even in a digital dystopia of rocket launchers and carjackings, and artists remain adaptable…often in real-time.  At a time when traditional theater is struggling to find its place in the digital age, this documentary offers a refreshingly hopeful path forward.

As an experience, Grand Theft Hamlet is thrillingly inventive, balancing slapstick humor with genuine artistic triumph.  There’s joy in watching actors push through their lines as mayhem erupts around them, but it feels like a victory when they actually manage to complete a scene without falling off a blimp or being randomly punched.  And by the time the credits roll, you realize that Shakespeare has, against all odds, found a new home in the least likely of places.

Come for the novelty, stay for the unexpected emotional heft—Grand Theft Hamlet is a theatrical experience like no other.  The stage may collapse at any moment, but the show, as always, must go on.