Movie Fan Zone

Antoine Fuqua is a music video director par excellence. He is just one of the best out there. As a feature film director though, he has been a flawed one. For me, he does make good enough movies that could have been way better.

You have probably seen the music video of Coolio’s  Gangsta’s Paradise. That was a damn good one. Not too stylish yet it was still cool. It sticks to your head. That scene with Michelle Pfeiffer? I thought it sent out a message. It was almost as good as the film Dangerous Minds.

Now, compare that to Fuqua’s feature film debut The Replacement Killers. Talk about a promising movie. Chow Yun-Fat was the latest Asian superstar keen on trying his luck in Hollywood. Almost every action fan knew just how good he is. Hell, Quentin Tarantino loves his movies to death. Alongside Chow was Mira Sorvino. She was still riding high on her Oscar-winning role in Mighty Aphrodite while also hooking up with Tarantino.

Alas, it was just too stylish. The film looked like one, long action scene. It had blood, bullets and no believable characters. It seemed like a music video stretched to a full length feature. It was disappointing in every aspect. Most ofthe time, it seemed he was hellbent on being the John Woo of Hollywood.

His next film was Bait with Jamie Foxx in his pre-Ray and Collateral days. It was also panned heavily by both fans and critics. It seemed Fuqua was meant to do music videos, not try his hand in directing action films.

Then, he signed on to helm Training Day. It is one of my favorite films of all time. Denzel Washington was at his best in this one. I still laud the Academy Awards for giving him that Best Actor award. His portrayal of a rogue cop was just as intense as it was charismatic. Ethan Hawke was equally impresive as honest rookie cop Jake Hoyt. The script was almost great, suffering only in its race to the finish line.

To Fuqua’s credit, his direction was quite good in this one. It was an underrated achievement. However, it is not really a mind-blowing job. You can still see the stylish way he handled some of the scenes which robbed the movie which begged for a gritty and realistic feel.

Those flaws were nothing compared to the epic mess that was King Arthur. That was simply a terrible piece by everyone involved in it. Even the sexiness of Keira Knightley or the presence of Clive Owen could stop it from being boring, despite being an action flick. It made Fuqua’s Tears Of The Sun look a bit better.

His latest action opus is Shooter. It stars Mark Wahlberg in his post-The Departed assignment. The trailer seems harmless yet one is left to wonder: When would Antoine Fuqua make a flawless film that could rival his music videos acumen?

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Antoine Fuqua, Shooter, Mark Wahlberg, Coolio, Gangsta’s Paradise, Dangerous Minds, Michelle Pfeiffer, The Replacement Killers, John Woo, Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino, Academy Awards, Oscars, Bait, Jamie Foxx, Tears Of The Sun, King Arthur, Keira Knightley, Clive Owen, Mighty Aphrodite, Quentin TarantinoÂ

[image from: ign.com]