9/10
It's exceptional. I laughed, I almost cried , I was enthralled and I was entertained.
It's just damn brilliant I tell you!
So what is it about The Fisher King that means Terry Gilliam should be allowed to make as many losses as he can (and frequently does)?
It stars the fabulous Jeff Bridges and the hot and cold Robin Williams (sometimes very very good, sometimes a lot like Rob Schneider) as two people who have lost everything are are on a long downward slope to destruction.
Together they take a typically obtuse route to mutual redemption and, ultimately, to mutual forgiveness. There isn't a huge amount of story to spoil, but I won't do it here.
The character of Parry is perfect for Williams, channelling his usual gurning into something more real and affecting than usual, and yet not losing his charm completely as he did in such performances as Insomnia and One Hour Photo.
Jeff Bridges is his usual likable self initially and we would be forgiven for being surprised when having made one misjdged remark to a caller on air he is utterly destroyed mentally by its repercussions. His performance in the first half hour especially is nothing short of breathtaking.
Gilliam's usual talent for finding beauty from adverse conditions (as in the ridiculously expensive looking yet cheap forest shots in Holy Grail) is at its peak here, in one standout sequence turning Grand Central Station into one of the most heart rendingly beautiful sequences I have seen in years. It's a pretty famous sequence but I won't explain it in detail, suffice to say it is perfect.
We also get this films version of the Gilliam "evil" vision (The japanese warrior in Brazil and the scary face of God in Time Bandits spring to mind as his other uses of this device) in the form of the Red Knight, a potent visual and psychological symbol of Parry's inner guilt and trauma. He is wonderfully terrifying and brilliantly realised with even his headdress representing clearly the exact moment Parry was traumatised.
Bridge's Jack's girlfriend got the best supporting actress oscar for her performance and that's all well and good, since she's very good but all of the performances were superb and I highly recommend this film to everybody. Go see it!
SPOILER ALERT!
I love this film and it came very close to a Gary-baiting 10, but the ending was a little too neat to match the tone for the rest of the film. It wasn't a problem for me, but a little bravery wouldn't have hurt it, so it gets a very high 9.
A
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I'm not going to rise to the bait.
ReplyDeleteNope. Not worth it.
I'll only get high blood pressure.
(besides he only gave it a 9/10 and not a 'Gary-baiting 10').
"Good movie. Liked the bits you pointed out. hated Amanda Plummer's role. Loved the Red Knight. Worthy movie (but not 9/10)"
I'm guessing a 7 from yourself Gary?
ReplyDeleteThe character of Jack spoke to me very directly so that may have been the major difference between our experiences.
Amanda Plummer's is one of those Marmite performances, I really liked the goofiness of her character since we needed some comic relief around the time she is introduced, but hey, vive la difference!
A
I bloody love The Fisher King, although Brazil and Time Bandits tie for my favourite Gilliam movies.
ReplyDeleteAs you may recall, The Fisher King had the peculiar effect on me of making me sing "Lydia the tattooed lady" at the paper every time Loo-roll mentioned her GF. The hours just flew by.
Scribbles
xxx
(arseing OpenID still not effing working!)