Just recently released at the Angelika is Shakespeare’s dark comedy “The Merchant of Venice” directed by Michael Radford. As the story goes, a Christian merchant named Antonio (Jeremy Irons), who borrows money form a Jewish money leader, Shylock (Al Pacino), to help his friend, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) win the hand Portia (Lynn Collins). Yet as a price for this loan, if Antonio cannot pay the deal on time, he will lose a pound of his own flesh.

There are various other love stories that unfold in this movie involving Lorenzo (Charlie Cox) and Jessica (Zuleikha Robinson), who is Shylock’s daughter, along with Gratiano (Kris Marshall) and Nerissa (Heather Goldenhersh), Portia’s ladies’ maid.

The movie, with all its twists and turns, does not meet up with expectations, and lacks a certain spice. Undoubtedly, the costumes and sets are breathtaking, but still, connecting to the characters is hard to grasp.

In the beginning of the movie, there are a series of disclaimers about the treatment of the Jews. The audience is set up to feel sympathetic to Shylock, thus making the audience not as strongly inverted to the other remaining leads. That does not mean, however, that the individual acting was mute or deserves no recognition.

Collins, who plays Portia, was gorgeous to look at. The strength of her performance is what is in her eyes. Collins can play a wide range of emotions.

The most notable scene is when Fiennes’ character Bassanio is choosing which box will win him Portia’s hand in marriage and when Portia is dressed in disguise as a man.

Pacino’s performance stood out among the rest. He speaks Shakespeare, often tongue twisting, with the greatest of ease. Yet, it is his gestures and expressions of pain without saying a word that have the greatest impact.

The audience really feels his suffering; from the humiliation he receives from the Christians of Venice to the loss of everything he holds dear to him.

Pacino’s performance was so beautifully accentuated that audience will feel so much pity and hope for a different outcome for Shylock. Pacino’s storyline overpowered any other emotions of joy for the other characters.

Overall, this movie adaptation of “The Merchant of Venice” is by far the best, and driven strongly by the performance of the actors. The movie is enjoyable to watch but could have been done better.