A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's not as Shakespearean as Branagh, but close enough to be wittingly entertaining. The concept of two minor characters from 'Hamlet' questioning their own circumstances and destiny while events of a more consequential nature swirl around them is a pretty clever idea. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth play off each other well as the movie's title characters, ably supported by Richard Dreyfuss in a role suitably positioned as 'The Player'. It's not necessary to be all that familiar with Shakespeare's most well renowned play to enjoy this, and the lack of the famous bard's dialog is not a detriment to the story. The mugging and sight gags are cleverly rendered, all adding up to the idea that in this film, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have a lot to do with putting the 'ham' in "Hamlet".

Saw the play a bunch of times and got to play Rosen or Guil twice. The problem with putting its action into a realistic quasi-Elizabethan setting is you're doing the equivalent of setting Waiting for Godot at a Times Square bus stop. You simultaneously drown and dilute the characters and their words (which are after all the only things R&G have to depend on) in reality. And the ending is ruined by being literalized. The other serious problem is Richard Dreyfuss--sorry, he just ain't The Player. They needed John Rhys Davies, who has the power and presence and weight to do the role justice, especially in The Player's final doom-laden speech. On the other hand, Roth and Oldman are the quintessential R&G, ain't nobody could do 'em better. They crystallize the Laurel-and-Hardyness of the two, with Oldman as Stan and Roth as Ollie. This was both written and directed by Tom Stoppard so one has to take it as his final word, but Dreyfuss impresses me as a last-minute choice. Personally, I'd rather have seen a filmed stage presentation, where (if done right) the ending is truly heartbreaking.

This mind-bending, sideways look at two of "Hamlet"'s lesser characters is classic, undeniable comedy genius. Tom Stoppard's direction flowers with as much spot-on slapstick as his words and, indeed, as his actors' performances.Gary Oldman is intoxicating! Watching him as Rosencrantz you will forget all about your Jack Sparrows after this (goatee and all, Depp totally stole his persona from Oldman). He's Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Roberto Benigni, and Peter Sellers all rolled into one! I plan to find more such characters from Oldman - certainly one of the most sublime and delightful performances of all time!Funny note: If "The Lion King" is childishly derivative of "Hamlet", "The Lion King 1½" is a total f*cking rip-off of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead".Also - "R & G Are Dead" is frequently compared to Beckett's "Waiting For Godot" (which should never be filmed!) as dealing equally with man's insubstantial grasp of his fate and the routines/shtick that passes the time before death. "R & G" is likely more palatable to a wide audience as it's abstract philosophy is counter-balanced by a well-known and literal storyline.

A genuine must-see, the allegoric film where every joke and every action are so layered, that you can't even grasp it all. The original interpretation of the Shakespeare's Hamlet, told from the POV of two minor heroes who honestly have no idea how they got caught up in all that mess, trapped within the plot of the Author. The idea that "All the world is a stage, and we are all merely actors" is embroidered skillfully into the canvas of the story, entwined with the problems of choice, freedom, free will, justice, loyalty. Moreover the movie managed to avoid the pathos/affectedness so typical for intellectual films that usually turns us off, the story is told with such irony and lightness that it strikes all the right notes, making us happy or sad, sympathetic to the heroes. The brilliant actors' works are just the cherry on top. Too incredible for words.