It is a hybrid film, including both a filmed performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a documentary element which explores a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture.

[2] Al Pacino won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Documentaries.

[3] Pacino and several fellow actors, including Penelope Allen and Harris Yulin,[4] act out scenes from the play.

Pacino also features other actors famous for performing Shakespeare, such as Vanessa Redgrave, Kenneth Branagh, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, James Earl Jones, and Kevin Kline.

[6] Pacino includes interviews with Shakespeare scholars such as Barbara Everett,[7] as well as ordinary people on the street.