neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Four Feathers
	Shekhar Kapur Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Kate Hudson, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Sheen 2002		Yet another remake of the hoary adventure movie about a British army officer who must overcome accusations of cowardice when he resigns his commission in 1898 as his regiment is about to ship out to fight in the Sudan. Played by Heath Ledger, the now ex-soldier is rejected by his aristocratic fiancee. He travels to North Africa on his own, shadows his former unit during a desert conflict and, helped by a friendly native (Djimon Hounsou), tries to save the lives of the colleagues who shunned him. This is the sixth film version of "The Four Feathers." You'd think they'd get it right by now, but the 2002 version is a slow, low-impact campaign. There's magnificent, artistically shot scenery (it's set in dreary, drizzly London, the overcast English countryside and the parched North African desert) and a youthful, attractive cast. Oddly, neither Ledger (an Australian), nor Kate Hudson as the girl and Wes Bentley as his best friend (both Americans) are English. Perfect for a shallow exercise in historical drama.