|
First
before I give you my review of O let me say that I am
totally ignorant when it comes to the play Othello by
Shakespeare. It’s one I never read or even wanted to read. All
I know is Lawrence Fishburne starred in a fairly recent movie
adaptation. Having said that I will now say that I really liked O.
This adaptation is swamped in controversy due to its violent
conclusion. Kids shoot kids, that is what everyone is in a huff
about. Funny no one comments when high school kids have sex
onscreen. Anyway, after a long stay on the shelf Lions Gate
(the company to release Dogma and American
Psycho) finally acquired it and released it. It’s a good movie and it deserves to be seen.
Now
to my review. Tim Blake Nelson (co-star
of Oh Brother Where Art Thou)
proves himself not only as a good actor as we’ve seen but a
very capable director. The
screenplay, written by Brad Kaaya, sets the story in a high
school full of spoiled rich kids. I thought making the
characters young actually brought a sense of realism to it,
considering kids rival against each other for anything, be it
relationships or fancy shoes.
Josh
Hartnett (Pearl Harbor)
plays the main antagonist, Hugo. He's really just a kid who
wants his dad to notice him. All the deceiving that is done is
because Hugo is always played second fiddle to Mekhi Phifer’s
Odin. There’s a scene where Hugo goes to have dinner with his
father
(Martin
Sheen) and finds that his father only wants to talk about Odin.
By now, Hugo has begun to unravel the relationship between Odin
and Desi (Julia Stiles). There are many lives that are affected
by Hugo and in the end no one is left untouched.
I
really liked Josh Hartnett. He has a slow burn to him and he
carries the movie nicely. What a redemption from Pearl Harbor.
Mekhi Phifer is
good as well. His character calls for charisma and he definitely
has it. Most of the other actors are underused (including Julia
Stiles), but their performances weren’t bad at all. The only
real problem I had with the movie was that everyone does exactly
what Hugo wants them to do and his plans work out a little too
well.
Overall,
I really liked it. It is a downer movie and isn’t the normal
teen-fare, but that's why I liked it. The makers did not play
down to their audience and I, for one, think that is a step in
the right direction. O is a solid effort from all
involved.
TOP
|
