Antwone Fisher [WS]

Director: Denzel Washington Denzel Washington

Overview

"Denzel Washington's directorial debut, the emotionally stirring Antwone Fisher, comes to DVD; while it's a surprise this film didn't do better in theaters, it will now have it's chance on home video. Fox has done a fine job with this disc, producing an excellent transfer that mirrors the theatrical print. The 2.35:1 anamorphic image (yes, there is a severely cropped pan and scan version also available) shows fine detail and outstanding contrast. Colors are perfectly realized and very realistic. The English 5.1 Dolby Digital track is nothing to really get excited about, as it's based more in the front-center speaker, but the sound is clear throughout, and, for this dialogue-driven film, that's all that can be asked. A decent number of extras have been included here, such as a scene-specific commentary track from Washington and producer Todd Black. Each is enthusiastic and forthcoming, and contribute plenty to a fine track. Also included are three featurettes: ""Meeting Antwone Fisher,"" as would be expected, is more interview-based information of the man who is not only the subject of the film but also wrote the screenplay; ""Hollywood and the Navy,"" the shortest of the three, looks at the (especially post 9/11) relationship between the Navy and the filmmakers; and the last, and longest, is ""The Making of Antwone Fisher,"" a fairly straightforward (and a tad fluffy) look at the overall production. Finally, although there isn't a theatrical trailer for this film, ones for Drumline, In America, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Le Divorce are included."

Product Details

Release Date:	05/20/2003
UPC:	0024543077060
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Fox Searchlight
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:00:00
Sales rank:	840

Special Features

Closed Caption;Full-length audio commentary by director Denzel Washington and producer Todd Black; "Meeting Antwone Fisher" featurette; "The Making of Antwone Fisher" behind-the-scenes featurette; "Hollywood and the Navy" featurette

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Derek Luke	Antwone Fisher
Denzel Washington	Jerome Davenport,Jesse Age 8
Joy Bryant	Cheryl
Earl Billings	James
Kevin Connolly	Slim
Yolonda Ross	Nadine
Novella Nelson	Mrs. Tate
Viola Davis	Eva
Rainoldo Gooding	Grayson
James Brolin	Captain
Kente Scott	Kansas City
Stephen Snedden	Berkley
Malcolm David Kelley	Antwone Fisher Age 7
Cory Hodges	Antwone Fisher Age 14
Leonard Earl Howze	Pork Chop
Leo Nepomuceno	SP No. 1
Cordell Stokes	Keith Age 5
Ellis E. Williams	Reverend Tate,Reverend Tate
Timothy Reddick	Dwight Age 8
De'Angelo K. Wilson	Jesse Age 19
Vernee Watson-Johnson	Annette
Margaret Ford-Taylor	Eda
Bob Banks	Horace
Jada S. Louie	Jeannette
Rebecca Morris	Anna
Brandon Biggins	Eddie
Brandon Lewis	Ray
David Fowler	Chief Master-At-Arms
Sean'e La'Dae	Edward
O.L. Duke	Uncle Duke
Charlie Robinson	Howard
Michelle Davison	Johnny Mae
Lissy Gulick	Mona
Andre Patton	Kenny,Kenny
Doug Jewell	Spinoza
Lynn E. Charles	Spinoza's Wife
Jason Dixon	Jason
Sung Kang	Receptionist
Eddie Baccus	Blind Piano Player
Linda Cevallos	Sexy Woman
Fran Dorsey	Owner
Ruth Stehle	Snide Clerk
John Pittman Jr.	Another Clerk
Edward C. Reynolds III	Man
Rita Pearson	Cashier
Janaya Reynolds	Young Girl No. 1
Na'Tasha Marie Evans	Young Girl No. 2
Mary Bradley Marable	Other Lady
Teresa Hoefke	Case Worker
Angela Gillespie-Winborn	Woman in White
Kim Johnson	Disc Jockey
Salli Richardson-Whitfield	Berta
Nicolas Dodd	Conductor
Salli Richardson	Actor
Mychael Danna	Composer

Technical Credits

Antwone Fisher

Denzel Washington	Director,Producer
Antwone Fisher	Screenwriter
Todd Black	Producer
Marvin Felton	Special Effects
Randa Haines	Producer
Nancy Paloian-Breznikar	Executive Producer,Producer
David Poole	Special Effects
Robi Reed-Humes	Casting
Tierre Turner	Stunts
Lillian Pyles	Casting
Keith Butler	Stunts
Stuart Abramson	Key Grip
Gail Monian	Stunts
Robert Powell	Stunts
Dain C. Turner	Stunts
Tom Waite	Stunts
Willie Burton	Sound Mixer
Brad Haehnel	Sound Mixer,Sound/Sound Designer
Nancy Paloian	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Based on a true story, with a screenplay written by its protagonist, Denzel Washington's directorial debut, Antwone Fisher is a competent tearjerker and self-composed hagiography that's sure to be overpraised for its subtle near-avoidance of racial issues. Talented neophyte Derek Luke stars in the title role, and he's supported by a strong, attractive cast, including director Washington, stolid as he's ever been, as the shrink who helps Fisher come to terms with his past, and the luminous Joy Bryant as the angel of a woman who improbably throws herself at Fisher's feet. Her apparent beatitude is part of the problem with the film. We see the horrific, if overly familiar, privations of Fisher's early life in flashback, but in later life, as the film begins, things seem to fall a bit too quickly and conveniently into place for the young man as he seeks out and battles his demons. The film also risks misinterpretation by accepting the societal racism responsible for many of Fisher's woes as a given. The film doesn't address race directly as an issue in Antwone's life. Of course, more thoughtful viewers will understand that Antwone's oppressors (who are all black) are themselves the products of an internalized racism, but less-thoughtful white viewers may appreciate feeling like they've been let off the hook in this instance because there are no racist, or even unpleasant, white people depicted in the film. Whether or not it's screenwriter Fisher's and/or director Washington's responsibility to explicate the sociopathology of its black oppressors is an interesting question. The fact remains that the film, with its postcard vistas and overblown score, works as drama on only the most rudimentary level.