Videohound Movie Retriever

The Merchant of Venice ★★★ William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice 2004 (R) Antonio (Irons) makes a deal with calculating moneylender Shylock (Pacino) to help his friend Bassanio (Fiennes) gain the hand of fair Portia (Collins). When the deal goes south, Shylock demands a pound of flesh from Antonio's breast and it's up to Portia, disguised as a young lawyer, to save him. Lavish, but subtle, take on Shakespeare's classic comedy. Pacino takes care to make Shylock as sympathetic as possible; and director Radford places the play's overt racism in historical context, making the play feel less viciously anti-semitic than usual. 138m/C DVD. US Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Zuleikha Robinson, Kris Marshall, Heather Goldenhersch, John Sessions, Mackenzie Crook, Gregor Fisher, Ron Cook, Allan Corduner, Anton Rodgers, Lynn Collins, Charlie Cox; Director: Michael Radford; Writer: Michael Radford; Writer: Benoit Delhomme; Cameo: Jocelyn Pook.