Epics, young casts and remakes can all be serious gambles when it comes to making good movies. With that in mind, the new version of \The Four Feathers"" has beaten odds that could make a scratch-and-win player blush.
The movie, now in its fourth screen adaptation of the A.E.W. Mason novel, focuses on the lives of two friends, Harry Faversham (Heath Ledger) and Jack Durrance (Wes Bentley, ""American Beauty""), who together serve in the British army during the peak of the British Empire and share a love interest, Ethne (Kate Hudson). The movie follows the tension and joy of Harry's engagement to Ethne, then the difficulties that face him when he resigns his commission in the wake of announcement that he and his friends would be shipped off to fight in the Sudan, leaving him ostracized and marked a coward by his peers, fianc??e and father, a decorated general. The movie tracks Harry as he journeys to Sudan to help his friends, face his cowardice, and eradicate the inner torment he has faced.
Ultimately, what make this version of ""The Four Feathers"" a success are the spectacular performances from its four primary stars and its stunning cinematography. Director Shekhar Kapur (""Elizabeth"") does a decent job; hindered by his failure to maintain a consistent pace and cut scenes gracefully, he is redeemed by other factors.
At times, the movie can seem cartoonish, but for the most part, the cinematography in the movie is spellbinding. The shots of England are pretty and picturesque, while the desert scenes that dominate the movie are glorious in their expansive beauty. The combination of the panoramic desert scenes with the way the camera plays off the sun and dust is out of this world.
Still, it's the cast that brings the movie glory. If there was any doubt as to the acting ability of Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley and Kate Hudson before, ""The Four Feathers"" has shaken it. Bentley and especially Ledger handle huge roles with poise, presence and great humanity. Ledger carries the movie in a role that demands a wide range of emotions, looks and situations, while Bentley is totally believable as a soldier, a man and a friend.
Hudson, meanwhile, brings pleasant charm to her character, while still being able to unearth the dark undertones of her character as the story develops. And while his name will not appear on the marquis with the other three, Djimon Hounsou (""Gladiator"") deserves mention for his great composure in the role of Harry's African ally.
Know what you're getting into. ""The Four Feathers"" is not a concise movie. It is not light-hearted fare. It is a long and violent epic that drags the audience through all the difficult emotions of any good war movie. But it stops short of the excessive and exploitative levels of violence and gore of ""The Patriot,"" the film that made Ledger a marquee name. ""The Four Feathers"" is an intricate and captivating story that is told with style, elegance and skill.
