Measure for Measure

Film Threat by

Measure for Measure is a collection of great performances by both seasoned and up-and-coming actors.

The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis

Glancing social commentary — like the difficulties of cultural assimilation and the invisible wounds of war — is welcome, but the script (by Ireland and Damian Hill, who died in 2018) is too cluttered for it to resonate and too mired in a muddle of sin and redemption.

The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore

The literary source is one of only a couple of real draws in what is otherwise a fairly routine present-day crime saga.

Original-Cin by Liam Lacey

Though much of it is glum and muddled, it does find an anchor in Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix) as a gravely wise, ailing crime boss named Duke.

RogerEbert.com by Monica Castillo

Based on the Shakespeare play of the same name, Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure is filled with drama, although perhaps not the kind you’d expect from the Bard. No, this is a modern-day adaptation—one grappling with xenophobia, drug addiction, and gun violence. There are no period costumes here, but there’s a stone-faced Hugo Weaving to make up for it.

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

I haven’t seen Measure for Measure on the stage in years, but the rough shape of it forms in the mind watching this adaptation, its hits (characters) and the reasons it’s called “a problem play.” And those bones, a poignant romance, betrayals and mercy coming from the most unexpected places and vivid characters, pretty much save this film, or at least make it watchable.