During the dark days of 2021’s lockdown, out-of-work actors Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls set out to produce and direct a version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet shot entirely in the incredibly violent world ofGTA V Online.As of late 2024, I still don’t know if they succeeded at their initial task, but it seems as if they’ve succeeded in creating something special with Grand Theft Hamlet, a documentary about their adventure in making the movie.
If you’re anything like me, the mere idea that someone remade the entirety ofHamletinGTA Vwill have you cringing hard. The Internet, YouTube especially, has way too many covers and fan remakes of things that should probably be left alone — out of respect for the original work and consideration for the time of the people browsing.
In this case, however, I was very wrong to immediately discardGrand Theft Hamlet, as it seems like an actually riveting work of passion.
The world ofGTAOnlineis incredibly hostile. Los Santos is a place where you’re more likely to get shot in the nuts than to get greeted by a passer-by. Outside of a few competitive online titles, theGTAcommunity is likely the last group you should try to cast and direct for your in-game remake of something for nerd theater kids. Still, the world and all the sets provided by this incredibly rich title make it the best stage for, well, a spectacular stage.
The title “Grand Theft Hamlet” looks like something out of a made-for-YouTube spoof. Seemingly, however, it’s a riveting documentary ( currently sitting at 94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) that will both pull at your heartstrings and make you laugh hard with its tale of community effort during rough times.
Grand Theft Hamletpremiers in select theaters on January 17, and will start streaming on MUBI at an undisclosed later date.Grand Theft Hamlettook the best documentary award at the SXSW Film Festival, among a few other awards, and it truly does feel like the surprise 2025 opener I didn’t know I wanted.
