Crime and Punishment (1998)

Fresh and Exciting

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Two performances stop this adaptation from being worse than it turned out to be. Julie Delpy, despite being perhaps a touch too beautiful, is dignified and moving as Sonia, while giving the character a strong will too, the writing of her character and subplot works against her but Delpy gives it her all. Even better is Ben Kingsley, no matter the state of the material Kingsley always gave his best and he more than does so here, bringing a thoughtful intensity to Porfiry.Delpy and Kingsley aside, this adaptation of Crime and Punishment doesn't work at all, as an adaptation or as a film as a standalone. Dostoevsky is not easy to adapt, in fact his work is quite difficult to do so, but that isn't an excuse for the story and characterisation being so lacking. The script is of a poor quality, with flat soap-opera-ish dialogue, delivery that was a mix of melodramatic and awkward and little attempt to keep to the tone or spirit of Dostoevsky's writing (only about 3 or 4 bits I properly recognised) or the style and themes that made his work distinctive. The characters no longer have their complexity, but not only are they written in a one-dimensional way but they are also grossly distorted; Raskolnikov is reduced from someone anguished by guilt to someone on the verge of a psychotic breakdown and secondary characters like Louzhin reduced to stereotypes. As a result, we never get to know these characters or why they do what they do, therefore the film fails to elicit any sympathy or even care for them.Admittedly, the story was disadvantaged to begin with by a too short length and an apparent heavy-cutting, and it shows quite badly here, it feeling incredibly rushed and choppy. It's completely devoid of suspense and psychological tension (even in the scenes between Raskolnikov and Porfiry, something and components that were done brilliantly in the two 1935 film adaptations), characters have very little- almost aimless- chemistry between them and the romantic subplot not only doesn't engage due to sloppy writing and lacking chemistry between Delpy and Patrick Dempsey but it slows the film down. Condensing and omissions were always going to be inevitable (the two 1935 film adaptations did too but not as badly), but the spirit and substance that makes the story so good are totally absent here, basic scenes are still intact but with none of the impact they ought but other key scenes are either greatly condensed or excised, to the extent that it did not feel like Dostoevsky. And to add further insult to injury, the adaptation even adds parts that have absolutely nothing to do with the story, including an opening sequence that was irrelevant, anachronistic and immediately distorted Raskolnikov's character.Patrick Dempsey tries his best as Raskolnikov, but his performance is filled to the brim with erratic, painfully overwrought melodrama that it's almost uncomfortable to watch him, failing to properly bring out the character's conflicts. Richard Bremmer is just okay, but would have been better if the character was better and fully realised. Hungarian actors aside, the accents are laid on too thickly and didn't seem all that necessary. Crime and Punishment's flatly directed and the music has some pleasant parts but is generally forgettable generic TV-quality and not always very subtly used, not adding as much to the atmosphere as it could have done. Production values-wise, the costumes and sets are decent, though don't ever really convince as 19th century Russia, but the photography is too glossy and too modern, the film was made for TV and especially in the photography it looks it.Overall, very bad and hugely disappointing, a definite contender for the worst adaptation of a Dostoevsky novel ever. 2/10 Bethany Cox

After many stupid movies I had to watch this one was refreshment. Although there are disproportions between movie and novel in many ways, I think it is very worth watching and recommend it to everyone. After this movie you should read a book, and not just Crime and punishment but others Dostoyevsky books too. I was so stupid I was ignorant and haven't read Dostoyevsky's books so far but will try to change this in future. Also, I must notice that at the end movie is too pathetic, it seems that director haven't fully understood its final words but anyways it is one of better movies I watched in last years and worth remembering. Thanks and regards.

Just because something is a so-called classic doesn't make it worth watching. This movie did not remain true to the storyline. There was some fraudulent backstory, as an attempt to provoke sympathy for Raskolnikov up front, when in fact he should get none, until the end. One of the most moving scenes in the book, the reading of the raising of Lazarus, was reduced to a quick, almost jokey, bit of silliness shoved up against a commercial break. The acting was atrocious, as the actors had to manage unnecessary Russian accents. Perhaps the needs of commercial television simply make the adaptation of novels like _Crime and Punishment_ impossible. As far as the casting, Ben Kingsley is a superb choice. Patrick Dempsey was inspired casting (better than 1935's Peter Lorre); the way Raskolnikov is described in the book I had always pictured Michael Sarrazin, but Dempsey is cut of the same cloth, and we're supposed to be appalled that such a nice looking and bright fellow could commit Raskolnikov's crime -- and this was undercut by the synthetic sympathy they tried to give him. There was no spirit of Dostoevsky at work in this movie. It's almost as if their source was a Classics Illustrated version rather than the book. But, if it encouraged anyone who was hitherto reluctant to read the book, it served a good purpose.

Usually movies for TV don't have the outstanding quality this one displays.Seeing movies like Crime and Punishment is a pleasure.It's well acted and well directed.I wish TV viewers had the opportunity to see more quality films like this.