Arresting drama (The Fisher King (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	The Fisher King (DVD)
Date:	31/08/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast and directing

Disadvantages: Pacing is slow

note: also appears on Flixster and The Student Room

Fans of Terry Gilliam will lap up The Fisher King, in as much as it adheres to every single convention of the director you'll have ever seen - it is extremely quirky, visually dazzling, and well performed by all involved. The film revolves around an almost virulently cynical and nihilistic DJ named Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges), whose cruel remarks to one caller cause the caller to go on a murderous rampage. By coincidence, he one day is saved from a group of gangsters by Parry (Robin Williams), a mentally ill, homeless man who believes it is his life task to search for the Holy Grail. However, the twist comes that this man is the husband of one of the women that the disgruntled caller murdered, and so, feeling some responsibility for her death, Lucas decides to try and help Parry piece his life back together, but it won't be as easy as he hopes, or in any way what he imagiend it would be like.

Like Gilliam's best moments, the film focuses on its purposes as a modern fairy tale - it examines both our need to have them, almost reflexively looking at the film form in this regard as a sort of escapism, and extending this to take a more sympathetic, less judgemental look at Parry's delusions. It's an affecting tale that has its conclusion telegraphed from the outset, but it's all about the ride the film takes, and that, thanks to performances from two actors never praised enough for their dramatic prowess, is startling.

Terry Gilliam doesn't make the most of a highly intriguing premise, yet this is a well-shot and excellently-performed piece. Fans of Gilliam will love the quirks, but the film will do little to sway his nay-sayers.

Summary: Delivers a routine plot in a mesmerising manner