Antwone Fisher Review:

Synopsis

Antwone Fisher (Derek Luke), is a bright, angry young man scarred by childhood rejection and abuse with a quick temper and a violent streak. His behaviour threatens to get him thrown out of the navy and lands him in the office of navy psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington - Training Day) whose stiff upper lip and stubborn resolve find an unlikely match.

Fisher was born in prison two months after his father was murdered and when his mother fails to collect him on her release from jail, he spends his childhood in various foster homes, including the torturous home presided over by the extremely religious Mrs Tate (Novella Nelson - The Devil's Advocate).

As Antwone's weekly sessions with Dr. Davenport continue he meets another young sailor Cheryl Smolley (Joy Bryant - Showtime). Their relationship is sweet and innocent and she sees that amidst his discontent is a good heart and one she wants to get closer to - if only he will let her. The more time Fisher spends with Dr. Davenport, he grows to trust the doctor and the normally strict boundaries of the doctor-patient relationship begin to relax.

As Fisher struggles with his temper and with Davenport's advice that he should deal with his past, he returns to Ohio to confront the family members that still haunt him. Antwone's story is counterpointed with the story of Dr. Davenport and his wife Berta (Salli Richardson - Biker Boyz) who have their own struggles with their inability to have children and a breakdown in communication between the couple. Davenport comes to realise that his relationship with Fisher is a two way street and they have in fact been therapy for each other.

Critique

Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington made his directorial debut with this thoughtful film written by (and based on the real life of) Antwone Fisher. An unpredictable Navy recruit, Fisher frequently falls fouls of behavioural regulations when on duty, eventually resulting in the young man being sent to psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Washington for counselling.

At first, the pair's relationship fails to blossom, with Fisher's dislike of being forced to attend the sesions preventing him from opening up to Davenport. Gradually, however, trust and understanding develops between the two men, leading them to become very close and sharing. With Davenport's help, Fisher turns his life around and revisits his dark past in order to free himself of his fears. As an unexpected side effect, however, Davenport's faltering relationship with his wife begins to improve thanks to his involvement with Fisher.

Washington succeeds enormously with his first directorial effort - the film is told very lovingly and much more in the style of older, more story-based offerings. The story of Antwone Fisher's troubled life proves to be both very intelligently told and full of complex, intriguing characters. The interaction of the two lead characters - Fisher and Davenport - is genuinely heart-warming, which is a rarity in today's cinema. That said, Washington still has the ability to shock tremendously with the use of some truly powerful flashback sequences.

Newcomer Derek Luke, who actually knew Antwone Fisher before even auditioning, puts in a remarkable performance in the title role, thus kicking off his career in fine fashion. Washington is expectedly solid as Davenport and his scenes with Luke make up a strong backbone for the film. Joy Bryant and particularly Novella Nelson deliver sound support, while Malcolm David Kelley is impressive as a younger Antwone Fisher during most of the flashbacks.

Overall, Antwone Fisher is a moving directorial debut from Denzel Washington that features a well-written tale and a superb performance from Derek Luke.

8 out of 10

The Video

The film is presented on this disc with a very good anamorphic widescreen video transfer - colours are accurate and vivid, while black levels are nothing short of perfect from start to finish. While the image may not be pin-sharp, sharpness is undeniably above average. A touch of grain may be present at times, but this is never a significant issue.

Meanwhile, no unwanted noise or aliasing makes an appearance and the transfer appears to be free of any print damage. Overall, therefore, this is a fine disc in the visual stakes.

8 out of 10

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is markedly unadventurous - this was both expected and mainly intended. Dialogue is delivered with clarity from the front-centre channel, while ambience from the surround speakers is mainly reserved for odd occasions and exterior scenes.

Some decent score reproduction from the rears (with pleasing channel separation) gives the audio stream the impression of being more active than it really is, making this, overall, a solid 5.1 soundtrack that deliberately matches the quiet nature of the film.

7 out of 10

The Extras

Sadly, this single-disc title houses a relatively small number of extras and, with the exception of the audio commentary, the features often have an overly generic, promotional slant to them. Note that all the featurettes are presented in 1.33:1 full-frame with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound, while the sole audio commentary can be heard in the Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround format.

First up is the audio commentary by Director Denzel Washington and Producer Todd Black. This is quite an odd track in that Black seems to dominate the proceedings, leaving Washington considerably less talking time than most listeners will have expected. This quirky format is, if anything, set up in the opening seconds of the commentary, at which point Black introduces himself first instead of allowing the director to speak beforehand. Nevertheless, this proves to be a good track that is full of information.

The history of the project is discussed in the commentary, together with the difficult shooting conditions, casting, budget and much more. Producer Todd Black also explains that he was attached to the project for a long time before Denzel Washington even read the script, hence perhaps explaining his dominance on the track here.

Meanwhile, the 'Meeting Antwone Fisher' featurette runs for 14 minutes and is basically some further information on the real Antwone Fisher. This is quite an aimless item and much of the trivia contained within will have already been picked up through watching the film - however, interviews with Denzel Washington and, of course, the man himself will probably make this featurette worth a quick look for fans.

Up next is the longest video extra on the disc, 'The Making Of Antwone Fisher' featurette, which clocks in at 22 minutes. This is a highly promotional piece that includes some surface-level trivia but fails to delve into the real making of the film. However, this item is still rich with interviews to entice fans - the cast are questioned, together with Fisher, Editor Conrad Buff, Director Of Photography Philippe Rousselot, Producer Todd Black and Production Designer Nelson Coates. The fact that Fisher and Luke were friends is briefly mentioned, while background information on the casting and Washington's first time as a director is also shared with the viewer.

The final extra is the 5 minute 'Hollywood And The Navy' featurette which, as the title suggests, focuses upon the production's relationship with the U.S. military. A Public Relations Officer from the Navy expresses the Department Of Defense's desire to be involved with films like these, while the cast and crew talk about the heightened security on location after the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001. Finally, the disc's menu screens are animated and presented with background sound in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.

Overall, the extras provided are perhaps adequate, but undeniably far from impressive in terms of either quality and quantity. The audio commentary is certainly the highlight of the supplements on offer, proving to be a solid guide to the film, but the featurettes are too short and unfocused.

6 out of 10

Movie 8
Video 8
Audio 7
Extras 6

OVERALL (not an average) 7

DVD Bulletin

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