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Amazon.co.uk Review
Arthurian mythology and modern-day decay seem perfect complements to each other in Terry Gilliam's drama/comedy/fantasy The Fisher King. Shock jock Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) makes an off-handed radio remark that causes a man to go on a killing spree, leaving Lucas unhinged with guilt. His later, chance meeting with Parry (Robin Williams), a homeless man suffering from dementia, gets him involved in the unlikely quest for the Holy Grail. The rickety and patently unrealistic stand that insanity is just a wonderful place to be and that the homeless are all errant knights wears awfully thin, but, there are numerous moments of sad grace and violent beauty in this film. The screenplay by Richard LaGravenese launched his successful career and his smart wordplay helped garner Mercedes Ruehl an Oscar as Lucas' girlfriend. --Keith Simanton
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
What do you expect from a Terry Gilliam film? Something inventive, an entertaining but thought-provoking take on the human condition? A meaningful story shot with the imagination and cheerful dismissal to reality, which ironically brings the movie closer to home?
I saw 'Brazil' a few months ago, and didn't think cinema could get any better. I bought 'Fisher King' with the expectation that it would be good, but dominated by the huge personalities of Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges. I didn't expect anything close to what I'd seen in 'Brazil'. But, contrary to what I'd expected the big on-screen personalities work in perfect harmony to this wacky world Gilliam presented us with.
A perfect script, a perfect cast, a perfect director. Perfect.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Terry Gilliam's films are always worth catching, and this is my favourite of them all. The story of redemption and triumph over tragedy makes this the most poignant of the fantastic stories that Gilliam has told in his unique cinematic way.
Like The Shawshank Redemption, this film is a treasure many never heard of upon it's release, or if they did, seem to have forgotten. Starring the almost demonic Jeff Bridges as Jack Lucas, a 'shock jock' who blames himself for inciting a listener to murder, the story catches up with him as his drunken self-loathing leads him to the brink of suicide. Enter Robin Williams as Parry, a seemingly unhinged tramp, whose decline was triggered by the death of his wife in the shootings Jack feels responsible for. The pair battle together for each other's sanity in a tale that encompasses Arthurian myth, knights on horseback in central park, and love blossoming in chinese restaurants.
While emotionally wrenching at times, this is still a beautiful, whimsical, and even very funny journey, with the price of entry justified by the real story of the Fisher King that Parry tells Jack in central park alone.
You'll laugh, cry, and swear off eating dumplings in public, but this is a small price to pay, as is the cost of the title. Even if Monty Python was never your thing, and Twelve Monkeys was just too sci-fi for your taste, still this film deserves a place in everyone's collection.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
No one could accuse Terry Gilliam of being conventional. Understatement of the year, I realise, but when you really look at this film and its message(s) there is ultimately quite a simple premise at work - the triumph of altruism over ego. Both Parry and Jack are forced to over-come this by the same hideous event while Jack's poor wife remains the staunch figure of altruism (sometimes despite herself) throughout.
That said, the manner in which this is conveyed is typical Gilliam - visual metaphors illuminate the screen at every turn, dazzling the audience no matter what the focus of the scene may be. It is, put simply, the clearly recongisable work of one of the few contemporary film-makers who truly deserve the tag "auteur" - each and every shot kind of grimy but colourful at the same time. Every character somewhat unusual yet played with a sense of warmth. If you are a fan, you will know what I mean.
Jeff Bridges turns in (as usual) an amazing performance - by turns arrogant, and pathetic (sometimes both) as does Williams who is his usual manic self but delivered with the kind of pathos that he would come to use in later films such as One Hour Photo. Really, though, it is Mercedes Ruell as Jack's long-suffering wife who brings the whole film together. Her perpetually nasal (deliberately so, of course) New York whine complementing her tortured character's attempts to rehabilitate her husband and stand by him no matter what happens - or how he treats her.
The film is, like so many (particularly another favourite of mine It's A Wonderful Life) loosely branded "soppy", actually pretty dark - its sentimentality having been drawn out of tragedy and the manner in which people cope with it. Ok, so the fact that it is coped with via the central character undertaking a mystical mission may seem a little trite - but if you recognise that this really is a symptom of mental illness (in the character of Parry) then you may start to recognise just how interesting and important - certainly not soppy - this film is.
Oh, and Robin Williams may have sullied his reputatation by starring in one-too-many sugary feel-good films, but this isn't one of them. Those who dislike him on that basis alone should sit down and watch this, perhaps followed by The World According to Garp and maybe some of his early stand-up and re-assess their opinions......
That said, the manner in which this is conveyed is typical Gilliam - visual metaphors illuminate the screen at every turn, dazzling the audience no matter what the focus of the scene may be. It is, put simply, the clearly recongisable work of one of the few contemporary film-makers who truly deserve the tag "auteur" - each and every shot kind of grimy but colourful at the same time. Every character somewhat unusual yet played with a sense of warmth. If you are a fan, you will know what I mean.
Jeff Bridges turns in (as usual) an amazing performance - by turns arrogant, and pathetic (sometimes both) as does Williams who is his usual manic self but delivered with the kind of pathos that he would come to use in later films such as One Hour Photo. Really, though, it is Mercedes Ruell as Jack's long-suffering wife who brings the whole film together. Her perpetually nasal (deliberately so, of course) New York whine complementing her tortured character's attempts to rehabilitate her husband and stand by him no matter what happens - or how he treats her.
The film is, like so many (particularly another favourite of mine It's A Wonderful Life) loosely branded "soppy", actually pretty dark - its sentimentality having been drawn out of tragedy and the manner in which people cope with it. Ok, so the fact that it is coped with via the central character undertaking a mystical mission may seem a little trite - but if you recognise that this really is a symptom of mental illness (in the character of Parry) then you may start to recognise just how interesting and important - certainly not soppy - this film is.
Oh, and Robin Williams may have sullied his reputatation by starring in one-too-many sugary feel-good films, but this isn't one of them. Those who dislike him on that basis alone should sit down and watch this, perhaps followed by The World According to Garp and maybe some of his early stand-up and re-assess their opinions......
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A great lesson
A classic story with a modern day twist. A thoughly enjoyable film with a great cast.
The underlying message is that of taking responsibility for our words and deeds as the... Read more
The underlying message is that of taking responsibility for our words and deeds as the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Waterbaby
An Excellent Film
The Fisher King is a very good mixture of comedy, fantasy and drama. Robin Williams is at his very best, as usual in an original, touching movie. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bernard Boyland
Nothing at its best
A bizarre journey with a predictable plot. The touches of Gilliam genius served to leave me feeling that there was a lot missing from this film. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Slush Puppy
Hit and Miss
This movie feels like a good stage play. As such it would work better in an art theatre than in a cinema. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Dr John N Sutherland
Fantastic.
I love this film. Bought it for someone who hadn't seen it. Thery thought the same as me great film. Robin Williams & Jeff Bridges at their best. Great great movie. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Nats
One of Gilliam's Best
Anyone familiar with the work of Terry Gilliam, I'm sure will be aware of his distinctive ability to splice and integrate genres and themes within his films. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mr. D. Gumble
Knockout performance by Bridges.
How good is Jeff Bridges in this film? Robin Williams has some wonderful moments - especially when mining the dark emotional turmoil called up by the murder of his wife where he... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mr. Benjamin Moderate
The Fisher King
I love this film- it makes you believe in human kindness and a little bit of magic!
Published 23 months ago by Mrs. H. L. Barnes
Brilliant
Loved this film. A hard arsed cynical shock jock meets lowly homeless eccentric happy in his environment apart from one thing. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mrs. Lynn Meycalfe
One of the worst films ever.
I think if you had to combine a separate set of elements into a film that combined to make me detest it as much as possible you would come pretty close to the Fisher King. Why so? Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by ChrisG
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