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Antwone Fisher
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (11th January 2010). |
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The Film
 I’ve found that some of the most competent first-time directors are often actors. Since they typically have had a great deal of work and direction in front of the camera, it stands to reason that they would have a greater understanding of how to perform behind the camera. Such is the case with Denzel Washington’s directorial debut, “Antwone Fisher” (2002). As an actor, Washington exudes a calm, collected demeanor that easily carries over to lend itself to a directorial style commensurate with his acting. In less capable hands, the film could have quickly devolved into a sappy melodrama which aimed to tug on the heartstrings at all the common moments. Instead, Washington gave the picture some room to breathe, to see how real of a person Fisher is. Aside from a scene or two that is intended to bring out the waterworks, this is mostly a psychological study of one man who refused to be broken down by his surroundings. Antwone Fisher (Derek Luke) is a seaman with the Navy who happens to have one heck of an anger problem. After a scuffle, he is sent to see the base psychologist, Dr. Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington). At first, he is reluctant to even speak with him, but over time he learns to trust Davenport and eventually opens up to reveal his horrible childhood, which is the basis for all of his hostility. With his guidance, Fisher works on reforming his ways, and tries to reconnect with a family he’s never known. What I found most fascinating was that the real Antwone Fisher wrote this film after securing a deal at Sony Pictures. He was working on the lot as a security guard and had been telling some of his stories to people he met on the lot. Word got back to producer Todd Black, who signed a deal for Fisher to write the screenplay for the film based on his novel, "Finding Fish." How cool is that? Newcomer Derek Luke steps into the role of Antwone Fisher. I had recently watched his performance as Sean “Puffy” Combs in “Notorious” (2009), a film where he shows a great deal more confidence in front of the camera than he does here. Now, I’m not entirely sure whether this is how Luke intended to portray Fisher, as a slightly green, wet-behind-the-ears cadet, or if he was simply still trying to find his footing as a working actor. He doesn’t give a bad performance by any means, but he certainly shows signs of being less than comfortable on screen. The film’s anchor, unquestionably, is Denzel Washington. There’s a reason he’s one of the best actors working in Hollywood today, and that’s because of his unparalleled confidence on camera. Washington is the kind of guy that seemingly lets everything roll off his back, nothing fazes him. He’s just as cool playing a psychologist as he is playing a personal bodyguard or a police detective. Which isn’t to say that he plays himself in every film he’s in; it’s just that he’s so good at slipping into his respective roles that he makes any mediocre film imminently watchable. There are few actors working today who can claim the same. As a director, Washington shines just as brightly. He worked closely with Fisher, also the film’s writer, to make this picture as authentic as possible. Though he may have turned in a film that runs for 2 hours, he never wastes any of the screen time with expository scenes that serve no purpose. He makes the most of the film’s run time, drawing us into Fisher’s life and giving us reasons to genuinely care about seeing him succeed as a person. Also impressive is Fisher’s ability as a screenwriter. Though he did have the luxury of adapting from his own novel, and life’s experiences, he managed to turn in a screenplay that didn’t try to be anything more than an honest, true-to-life tale of how a man can become more than what his surroundings have afforded him. Rather than turn up the cheese, and saturated the film with sappy, feel-for-me moments, Fisher simply lays his life out there and allows the viewer to take the journey he did to discover what it took for him to get to where he is today.
Video
Fox has provided “Antwone Fisher” with a remarkable 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image that looks virtually flawless. The bulk of the film is bathed in hues of blue and brown, so there isn’t much color on display here to “pop” the image. But the skin tones and facial close-ups reveal an amazingly clear image with no noticeable noise or digital issues. Night time scenes are particularly solid; shadows maintain their composure and exhibit a fine amount of detail. I detected some minor background noise in a few scenes, and a few shots were out of focus, but they hardly detracted from the overall picture. This is a solid visual presentation.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit is a straightforward track with little activity. This is a film which relies heavily on dialogue, and it’s always clear and distortion-free. There is virtually no activity to be found in the surround speakers, aside from the occasional moment provided by the film’s score. LFE action is also kept to a bare minimum. This isn’t a demo track by any means, and it really does little to take advantage of the high-definition mix it’s given, but there is nothing to complain about in terms of clarity and overall tone. Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound mixes are also included. Subtitles are available in English for the hearing impaired, Spanish.
Extras
We get very little in the way of bonus material, just an audio commentary, a few featurettes and the film’s theatrical trailer. The feature-length audio commentary with director Denzel Washington and producer Todd Black has a very casual, laidback tone. The duo discusses setting up shots, locations, performances… the typical kind of stuff you’d expect to hear. What I did find interesting is how “The Exorcist” (1973) was cited by Washington as an influence in the shooting of a key scene; not so much the subject or tone of that film, but how the “less is more” approach worked so well for that film that he attempted to employ it here where applicable. “Meeting Antwone Fisher” (480i) is a featurette which runs for 14 minutes and 12 seconds. More of an interview than anything, we sit down with the real-life Antwone Fisher as he discusses writing the script and how his life has been shaped and changed because of the time he spent in the Navy. It’s more or less a brief run-through of the events we see in the film, but told directly from Fisher’s mouth. “The Making of Antwone Fisher” (480i) is a featurette which runs for 22 minutes and 16 seconds. This rather substantial behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film features an assortment of interviews from the cast and crew, with discussions ranging from how the story of Fisher’s life came to director & star Denzel Washington, to casting the film and shooting locations. “Hollywood and the Navy” (480i) is a featurette which runs for 4 minutes and 41 seconds. A Public Relations officer for the Navy talks about what efforts the Navy makes to accommodate and assist on Hollywood productions, and the production team discusses how tight security was on-set after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 2 minutes and 34 seconds.
Overall
It might not be a film that I’ll revisit, but “Antwone Fisher” is a solid drama with some good performances, a genuine script and assured direction, courtesy of veteran actor Denzel Washington. At the least, even if the subject matter doesn’t necessarily appeal to you, I’d say it’s worth a rental.
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