Antwone Fisher

I never heard of this movie until yesterday, when my mom pretty much dragged me to see it. Well, my dad is out of town, and I did get to eat at Johnny Rockets before the film, so that was a plus, but without all that said, it was worth it.

The film is "Antwone Fisher" and it's Denzel Washington's directorial debut, which I had no idea, til it said "a film by Denzel Washington" at the end, I kinda like having it the end, instead of at the beginning. Who knows how different my experiences of it would have been had I known all along this was his movie.

Newcomer Derek Luke plays Antwone Fisher, and is remarkable. The last time a newcomer made this much of an impression in a film I saw, was Edward Norton in "Primal Fear". Anyway, Antwone Fisher is a man who never knew his father, and was born in a woman's correctional facility, then sent to an orfanage, and later adopted by an abusive family.

When Antwone turned 18, he left the hell that was his adopted family, and didn't know what to do with his life. So he did what anyone would have done in that situation. He became a sailor. His time in the navy did not start out well, he was picked on, and his temper (which he got from being around his abusive family) didn't help much. All this eventually led him to the Navy's shrink. Enter Denzel Washington.

This is all at the beginning of the movie, save the dream sequence. And I gotta mention that again. That dream sequence, the very first shots of the film, totally pulled me in. Now, I don't know about you, but I think it's unusual to be pulled into a film that early. I just love the slow but sudden camera techniques, paced to piano keys. Very dream like. But at the same time, you're not sure it is a dream, until Antwone wakes up. I just find that facinating.

Do I need to tell you how facinatingly good Denzel is? I didn't think so. This is one of his best performances ever, although it's not a big part. It's an incredibily moving part. He totally turns this kid's life around. He get's Antwone's confidence up so he can get a girl, then pushes him to go find his real family.

Oh did I tell you this is based on a true story?