neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Antwone Fisher
	Denzel Washington Derek Luke, Denzel Washington, Joy Bryant, Salli Richardson 2002		"Antwone Fisher" is an example of a tough sell paying big dividends. It's tough to imagine any movie studio willing to pony up cash to film the autobiography of an African-American sailor who can't control his temper. And it's tough to imagine that story sustaining interest over the length of a feature-length movie. Imagine it. Acclaimed actor Denzel Washington was able to find the financing to make his debut as a director with the powerful, memorable drama, "Antwone Fisher," based on the true events of screenwriter Fisher's life. Busted for fighting fellow seamen and for brawling at a civilian nightspot, Antwone, played by exceptional newcomer Derek Luke, is ordered to see a naval psychiatrist, played by Washington. Together, they start to sift through the incidents from Antwone's bleak childhood that fostered his anger. This precipitates a moving search for the family that Antwone never really had. It's one life out of millions, but with honesty, genuine emotion and an embrace of lofty ideals, the movie version of that life is anything but mundane. The climax is idealized, but the tears it spawns are earned, fair and square.