Film
Antwone Fisher represents Denzel Washington's directorial debut and presents for the first time on the silver screen Derek Luke in the lead role. While both show promise on their first outings, the same unfortunately cannot be said for the storyline, which veers far too close to Good Will Hunting for comfort and proves for the most part utterly predictable.
The film follows Antwone Fisher, a navy officer with a troubled past which frequently manifests itself in violent outbursts. Subsequently, Antwone finds himself constantly disciplined and forced to visit a psychiatrist for assessment. His shrink, played by Washington, becomes emotionally attached to his patient and helps him on the oh-so-Hollywood road to recovery, redemption and happiness (feel free to insert your own cliché here - they sure as hell didn't hold back). Meanwhile, the shrink appears to be struggling with problems in his own marriage, and his involvement with Antwone enables him to open his eyes to troubles he had previously refused to acknowledge. As the patient seeks help, he inadvertently comes to the rescue of the man who is supposed to be stable. Nice twist, huh? Well, no, not really. It is poorly developed and seems unnecessarily contrived, placing an extra coat of sugar on a story already covered in the stuff. Furthermore, the climax is a tear jerker that struggles to jerk tears despite its heavily didactic soundtrack, and any element of surprise is wishful thinking in the extreme.
Such a thin and banal plot drags the film down, which is a shame really because it is not completely devoid of substance. Washington's direction is solid if unremarkable, and the cutting between the dialogue between psychiatrist and patient to insightful flashbacks works well to prevents Antwone's revelations from becoming tiresome scenes. His performance is typically accomplished, but overshadowed by that of Derek Luke in the leading role. His debut is exceptionally assured and well measured, and without doubt proves the saving grace of this picture. He handles the emotional complexity of the character well, portraying Antwone's fragility, gentleness and inner rage with equal proficiency, meanwhile suggesting a degree of versatility that should make for an interesting career.
Washington's first directed picture is a disappointment, revolving more around his choice of script than a lack of capability. A more daring effort next time, the likes of which was made by George Clooney recently, would perhaps provide a better showcase for any natural ability he may possess.
Richard Joyce
Ok, here's an idea. To take a break from the joys of revision and the lovely, endless rain, how about going to see a fairly bleak German film? Sounds about as appealing as being a physicist, but don't be put off by its subtitles or obscurity: Mostly Martha is fantastic, and almost impossible to dislike. Set in an unnamed German city, the film centres on Martha Klein (Gedeck) a single, middle-aged chef, whose boss has (rightly) ordered her to go to therapy. Tragedy strikes early on, with her sister dying in a car crash, leaving Martha to look after her eight year old niece, Lina (Foerste). Somewhat predictably, Martha doesn't get on well with children, and Lina isn't exactly friendly. Her life is further complicated by the arrival of a new chef in her kitchen, Mario (Castellitto), whom she doesn't get on with either. So far, so depressing. Fortunately (for us at least), their lives are slowly rebuilt as Lina and Martha are forced to come to terms with their new realities. The majority of Mostly Martha is rather miserable as tension and unhappiness fly all over the place. However, at heart it is an unashamedly feel-good film, with the long periods of glumness only serving to increase the final enjoyment. Dry humour is persistent throughout, but does not detract from the film's ability to move. The relationship between Lina and Martha takes up a large amount of screentime and is handled with sensitivity and a welcome absence of excessive sentimentality. Performances all round are strong, with Foerste (who was just ten at the time of filming) thoroughly believable as the pyschologically scarred Lina. Cliches of the Hollywood variety are well avoided, and only the Italian Mario begins to border on a stereotype. Our heroine Martha, is refreshingly imperfect, being able to yell 'I never wanted to be your damn mother' at an eight year old and still maintain our sympathy. The filming is surprisingly beautiful considering the lack of real beauty to film. Long panning shots of kitchen bustle are particularly striking. The pace is uniformly slow and whilst it manages not to drag, you'll have trouble falling off your seat unless you give up on the film altogether and doze off. At times, the desire to do such is there, but I can only recommend first to go, and then to bear with it. It's well worth your while. Richard Taunt
22nd May 2003