Antwone Fisher review

Given that Denzel Washington has established a fairly limited range in which to exhibit his unquestioned acting talent, it isn't surprising he applied the same parameters to his directorial debut. Antwone Fisher is a well crafted if familiar tale of one man's struggle to overcome his demons and adversity. What helps to distinguish it from the slew of similar exercises in sentimentality is that it's based on a true story. The film's origins are a story to equal the one told. Fisher was a security guard at Sony when the script he'd written of his life came to the attention of Washington. The lead role ended up going to the unknown Derek Luke, who worked in a shop on the lot and was a friend of Fisher's. Of such stories dreams are made, or alternatively, being in Hollywood, films.

To say Fisher had an underprivileged background would be a slight understatement. His father is murdered two months before his mother gives birth to him in prison. He is brought up by an abusive foster mother and his best friend is killed while they were executing a robbery. To avoid the same fate, Fisher joins the navy, but his violent childhood has left him with a hair trigger temper that threatens to get him expelled from the military. His last hope remains in the hands of the camp psychiatrist, the enduringly patient Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington). The role of the assured, wise teacher is one Washington has done numerous times to great effect, but because of that it somehow diminishes the impact of playing a real person here.

That's not a comment that can be levelled at the composed debut of Luke whose portrayal of the angry and vulnerable Fisher is responsible for providing the film with its emotional resonance. In their scenes together, Luke more than holds his own against the formidable Washington. These scenes begin when the volatile Fisher is reluctantly sent to Davenport for assessment. He refuses to say anything and the standoff continues for weeks until he finally breaks down. With Davenport having gained Fisher's trust, the relationship between the two develops to the point where the young man looks upon Davenport as the father he never had. For the childless Davenport, he too considers Fisher more than simply another patient. But he also realises that in order for Fisher to move forward with his life, which includes his relationship with the beautiful Cheryl (Joy Bryant), he must look back and seek out his true family.

Washington's directing is as unpretentious and solid as his acting. His ability to extract the maximum sentiment from a scene without being mawkish is something he's learnt during the course of his career. While Antwone Fisher marks the end of a tough chapter in the life of its eponymous hero, for the trio of debutants it's only the beginning of what promises to be successful new careers.