Shekhar Kapur's new film, "The Four Feathers," has the fatal flaw that so many big screen productions have suffered under for the last 10 years. It seems that somewhere in the back rooms of Hollywood, someone forgot that no matter how you dress up a bad movie, it is still just as bad (consider George Lucas).
Such is the case with this movie. "Feathers" looks good on celluloid, but the story it tells is far from fulfilling.
Set in 1884, the movie is centered on the best friends Harry Faversham (Heath Ledger) and Jack Durrance (Wes Bentley), both officers in a prestigious regiment of the British Army. After a well-shot opening sequence featuring a rather brutal game of rugby, the film shifts to the regality of the military ball that evening, where we meet Harry's fiance Ethne (Kate Hudson). Ethne appears to be the Etta Place to Jack and Harry's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; while officially attached to Harry, it isn't clear which one of the two she is courted by until we see her alone with him. We also meet Harry's father, a general who browbeats his son mercilessly.
Just days after Harry and Ethne's engagement is made, Harry's regiment is told that they will be shipping off to the Sudan shortly to defend one of Her Majesty's fortresses, now under attack by the Mahdi people of the region. This delights everyone except, of course, Harry. When confiding his fears in Jack, Harry asks his friend why he's going, to which Jack replies, "I'm going because you're going," as a vote of confidence in his friend.
But still frightened at the prospect of war, Harry resigns his commission. In a conversation with Ethne later on, we find it is not because of his recent engagement, but because his father coerced him into joining the Army.
Upon hearing the news, everyone turns on Harry as a coward. His father disowns him, and even Ethne shuns him out of sheer humiliation. The only one still at Harry's side is Jack. Left with nothing to lose, Harry decides to disguise himself as an Arab and goes to the Sudan on his own to look out for his friends in the army.
One of the bigger problems in "The Four Feathers" is that we never really figure out what exactly Harry was planning to do in the Sudan. During the entire second half of the film, the viewer is endlessly waiting for Harry to give some revelational monologue bearing his soul. But the questions are left unanswered, which makes the whole foundation of the picture flimsy. On top of all this, the film is wrapped up with an ending that is far too tidy.
However, the film is not without merit. Its strongest point Kapur's ability to create the setting. After proving his mastery of the period film with 1998's "Elizabeth," Kapur is able to recreate both the glamour and gentility of Victorian England and the emptiness and desolation of the Sudan. From the cinematography to the makeup and costumes, this movie successfully transports the audience to another time and place.
The performances of the three leads are surprisingly good. Ledger is adequate in the part of the internally conflicted hero. Hudson pulls off a British accent quite well and looks every bit the innocent flower she's meant to look. However, the strongest performance belongs to Bentley. In his every word and action, he gives off the aura of the stiff-upper-lip upstanding English gentleman. The performance is the complete opposite of his role in "American Beauty."
But while these few bright spots do stand out, they hardly surpass the failures of "The Four Feathers." In spite of Kapur's directing talent, the film was a true disappointment after the potential he has shown in earlier films.
