 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Four Feathers
- Review Date: May 18, 2003
- PG-13
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2002
Common Sense Media says
A decent film with some intense battle violence.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has intense battle violence with graphic injuries. Characters are wounded and killed. There's brief nudity in a locker room and a non-explicit sexual situation. The portrayal of non-whites is less offensive than in previous versions of the story but still reflects the prejudices of the era. The enemy is referred to as "an army of Mohammedan fanatics" and "heathens," and the English think they must win because they have "nobler souls."
What's the story?
In what is at least the fifth filmed version of THE FOUR FEATHERS, a soldier ordered to war resigns his commission. He has just become engaged to a girl he adores and the concerns of a battle on the other side of the world do not seem important to him. His friends and his fiancée send him four white feathers, accusing him of cowardice, and he fears they may be right. So he disguises himself as a native and follows his former regiment to the Sudan. He will not risk his life for the honor of his country, but he will risk it to protect his friends and to prove that they were wrong about him. This time, Heath Ledger plays Harry Faversham, the reluctant soldier, with Wes Bentley as his best friend, Jack, and Kate Hudson as Ethne, the woman they both love.
Is it any good?
Director Shekhar Kapur stages the pageantry very well, from the scenes of red-coated officers swirling their ladies around the dance floor to the marches, battles, and prison scenes. He does fairly well by his young stars. Their British accents may falter, but he knows how to work around their weaknesses and play to their strengths, especially Ledger's athletic charm, Hudson's delicate dignity, and Bentley's ability to combine strength and sensitivity.
Kapur is less sure of himself in handling the very traditional structure of the story and there are some oddly disjointed transitions that undermine what should be the most dramatic moments.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how the movie's plot relates to current concerns about terrorism and the possibility of war. Both sides think that they are doing what God wants them to do. Is there any way to prevent war under those conditions? The director is originally from India. How do you think that affects his portrayal of an era in which British officers referred to non-whites as "wogs" and "heathens?"
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
would have been good...
This would have been a pretty good movie but it had a sex scene so I had to turn it off. And I could tell that it was going to have the "triangle" in it anyways which I always find anoying...so yeah...there are lots of other movies out there that are much better.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Shekhar Kapur |
| Cast: | Heath Ledger, Kate Hudson, Wes Bentley |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 130 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 20, 2002 |
| DVD release date: | February 18, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | violence and some sexual references |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
