Cinema for Brunch GRAND THEFT HAMLET Review

An ambitious swing in merging two disparate pieces of art, “Grand Theft Hamlet” is an engaging documentary that proves beautiful art can still be made in even the darkest of times.

Synopsis

A feature documentary about two out of work actors attempting the impossible task of mounting a full production of Hamlet inside the ultra violent world of Grand Theft Auto Shot entirely in game.

Review
The COVID lockdowns could be described with many words: disorienting, slow, lonely…but “ambitious” wouldn’t be a word many would apply to that strange time. Falling in tradition with Joe Hunting’s 2022 documentary “We Met in Virtual Reality” (a documentary that takes place entirely within a virtual reality game), Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls’ documentary “Grand Theft Hamlet” (taking place entirely within Grand Theft Auto Online) depicts how an ambitious production of Hamlet gets made within the fictional lawless world of San Andreas. Taking place during one of the UK’s COVID-19 lockdowns in 2021, we follow out-of-work actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen as they discover a theatre on one of their gaming larks and come up with the idea of creating a Hamlet production using the fictional world of San Andreas as their live, unstable oyster. Easier said than done (as some humorous sequences show), “Grand Theft Hamlet” is an interesting story about finding beauty in the most violent and profane places. While “Grand Theft Auto Online”, in my humble opinion, is already a work of art in its own right, Sam and Mark’s journey of bringing together two disparate pieces of art (Shakespeare and video games) is an engaging and beautiful journey to witness.

As expected with an experiment like this, the journey to creating a Hamlet production within the violent, unpredictable world of “Grand Theft Auto Online” does not come without its speedbumps. When Sam and Mark first discover the theatre that opens up the ideation of bringing Shakespeare into the world of guns, cars and women, a humorous sequence plays out as Sam and Mark reenact a scene from the play (awkward video game movements and all) as police cars swarm around them and take both of them out due to their Wanted star levels going up (a 1-to-5 star rating where 1 star means the police are looking for you and 5 stars mean you’re Public Enemy No. 1). It’s such a funny, ironic “GTA” moment that serves as a representation of this film’s charm. As Sam and Mark hold online casting calls and search for their next “Hamlet”, they run into a handful of funny encounters: trolls who kill them for fun, random gamers who sign up but don’t take the project seriously, random fights with NPC characters, etc. Whatever you can think of going wrong with a project like this, it goes wrong. But it’s the persistence of Sam and Mark that keeps the audience engaged with where this is going to go and if the “Hamlet” play is even going to happen. A standout scene in the film is a low point where Sam feels like throwing the whole production away due to the lead actor stepping back and choosing to be an understudy instead. Mark points out to Sam that he and Pinny (the film’s co-director who is also Sam’s wife) have a family to come home to once they log off from the game but that Mark himself doesn’t have a family to come home to. He’s on lockdown without a wife and kids to hug and cherish so at this point, this Hamlet production is important to him – it’s more than a lark. It’s a strong emotional moment that drives home the film’s theme of finding inspiration even in the darkest times of world history.

For those who have streamer or gamer fatigue, “Grand Theft Hamlet” may not be aesthetically pleasing on an initial glance. There are times throughout Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls’ documentary where it can feel a bit constricting as we are stuck in this lawless 3D world, creative conflicts and all. However the filmmakers do not fail at keeping this Don Quixote-esque journey nothing less than engaging. Another standout sequence that drives up the engagement factor is an inspirational montage in which Sam recites lines while walking the beautifully-detailed-yet-unpredictable world of San Andreas. He walks into bar riots, chills on the side with transient NPCs, walks past shootouts and untimely deaths while reciting each line with strong emotion. It’s a remarkable sequence of scenes that highlights how unique and ambitious of a swing this project is. In a world of over-the-top storylines, excessive action, crude comedy and sexual content, there is still room for stories that have as much depth and pathos as Shakespeare tales.

Closing Thoughts
While its experiment may not be for everyone, “Grand Theft Hamlet” is definitely a treat for those looking for unorthodox Shakesperean content. Building off a strange, unpredictable moment in time remembered by all, the process of bringing theater to the world of video gaming is nothing short of remarkable. Whether the film ends with the production being a success or not, such an ambitious feat deserves to be documented and witnessed as it drives home the theme of art uniting us all even in dark times.

Trailer