Antwone Fisher *** (2002, Denzel Washington, Derek Luke) – Classic Movie Review 13,021

Denzel Washington makes his director debut with Antwone Fisher (2003). Here he is in Equalizer 2.

Director Denzel Washington’s sterling 2002 drama film Antwone Fisher is inspired by a true story, and stars Derek Luke as a ragingly angry young US navy man and Denzel Washington as the shrink who sorts him out.

‘Fight fear. Face truth. Embrace life.’

Director Denzel Washington’s sterling 2002 drama film Antwone Fisher is inspired by a true story, and stars Denzel Washington and Derek Luke.

Denzel Washington makes his debut as director with this inspiring real-life story of how a ragingly angry black American naval rating, Antwone Fisher (Derek Luke), is finally put on the straight and narrow by his shrink, Dr Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington), whose own life is sparked up by his patient. Antwone has been forced to see the psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow US navy crewman.

Encouraged by his director, newcomer Derek Luke (in his film debut after a couple of TV roles) gives an impeccable tour-de-force in this involving and rewarding film, and Denzel Washington supports him loyally as the psychiatrist.

Commendably, Denzel Washington makes a real movie experience out of a complex and intelligent script by Antwone Fisher himself, raising it way above the level of the TV movie it could have easily become, and elevating an intimate subject into fiery big-screen material. Only at the very end does it waver into sentimentality, but up to then it is a knockout.

It’s not many people who get to write a movie with their own name as the title!

Also in the cast are Joy Bryant, Salli Richardson, Cory Hodges, Leonard Earl Howze, Kente Scott, Kevin Connolly, Rainoldo Gooding, Novella Nelson, Stephen Snedden, and Malcolm David Kelly.

While Antwone Fisher worked as a Sony security guard, studio executives offered to buy the rights to his life story. But Fisher wanted to write the screenplay, and wrote 41 drafts till he finally sold it to 20th Century Fox.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,021

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