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Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Kate Hudson, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Sheen ... see more see more... , Alex Jennings , Rupert Penry-Jones , Kris Marshall , Lucy Gordon

A.E.W. Mason's perennially popular tale of honor and adventure is brought to the screen yet again in this lavish period action-drama. In 1884, Harry Feversham (Heath Ledger) is a young officer-in-trai... read more read more...ning in the British Army who is soon to graduate and is expected to be shipped of to the Sudan, where the King's military are battling Muslim insurgents who are attempting to overturn English colonial rule. Feversham, however, has developed serious ethical reservations about going along, and on the eve of his departure, he resigns his commission. Feversham's best friend and fellow officer Jack Durrance (Wes Bentley) in response presents him with a white feather (a symbol of cowardice), and two of his classmates follow suit. Ethne Eustace (Kate Hudson), Feversham's fiancée, presents him with a fourth white feather shortly before breaking off their engagement. Sufficiently humbled, Feversham attempts to win back his honor and the respect of his family and friends by secretly becoming an undercover operative in the Sudan. His initial attempts to pose as an Arab are not especially convincing, but he makes friends with Abou Fatma (Djimon Hounsou), a local sympathetic with the British cause who proves to be a valuable source of insider information and advice on how to blend with the rebels. Meanwhile, Durrance is briefly ordered back to England to help recruit new soldiers for the colonial forces, and he takes the opportunity to begin wooing Eustace, the former flame of his former friend. This adaptation is the fifth film version of The Four Feathers, following two silent screen adaptations (released in 1915 and 1928), Zoltan Korda's memorable 1939 version, and a 1977 made-for-TV movie. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

64% liked it

37,252 ratings

Critics

41% liked it

150 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: Shekhar Kapur

Release Date: September 20, 2002

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DVD Release Date: February 18, 2003

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Stats: 1,367 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,367)

  • puffchunk
    September 11, 2010
    puffchunk
    Barring the lame and predictable love story, this movie was pretty great. Unique plot, as well as the always super badass Djimon Hounsou. In this one he plays a desert comando covered in white powder with neato hair and decor. In fact, I wish he had been the main focus. But a... read morelas, Heath Ledger was ok as well, as was Wes Bentley (once he had his cool scar makeup anyways). And Michael Sheen has yet to be in a bad role.
  • ythelastman89
    January 10, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I've actually always found this to be a good movie. Even though it is constantly bashed by critics, I think it's a beautiful story. It's not perfect, but it's not bad by any means. The acting was good and the scope of the film was as broad as an epic.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 15, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    I tried so hard to keep awake on this Movie. What a shame great casting but very poor film.
  • jjnxn
    August 30, 2007
    jjnxn
    good cast, slow film
  • MidnightMadwoman
    July 15, 2007
    MidnightMadwoman
    Have you ever watched a movie and realized halfway through that you're not so much watching as waiting for it to end? This movie is way too long and doesn't keep your interest; unless you are ravenously interested by turn of the century British imperial warfare. I can probably co... read moreunt on one hand the things I liked about this movie. I kind of liked how Heath Ledger utterly fails the male assertion of bravery conundrum inherent to a Western at the very beginning of the movie. He then spends the rest of the movie trying to restore his honour to himself and redeem himself in the eyes of his friends and former fiancee. It all sounds good on papaer, but is aggressively boring to watch. This movie is big and sandy, and little else. Disappointing.
  • deano
    May 27, 2007
    deano
    This version of the thrice-filmed story to be totally captivating, at least as good as the 1939 original.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 22, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    really good flick.
  • garyX
    January 1, 2007
    garyX
    Exremely flat and dreary retelling of the classic tale of derring-do full of pointless slo mo and unconvincing action, casted with pretty boy actors who have zero charisma or chemistry. Reasonably nice to look at, but ultimately dull.
  • ironclad1609
    September 11, 2006
    ironclad1609
    Thankfully not as pro-heroism and war as feared. Unfortunately the love story doesn't touch as much as it should, Kate Hudson just doesn't fit in somehow. But at least the cinematography is really pretty and the big battle is well done. And like so often, the great Djimon Hounso... read moreu steals the show.
  • flickfever
    July 11, 2006
    flickfever
    This movie was very much overlooked when it was released in 2002. The cast is excellent (even Kate Hudson is better than I expected for a rare appearance in a period piece), the cinematography is amazing and it does the original film justice. In the age of the Hollywood remake, i... read moret's rare when a new version can do an old version justice. Definitely a good view if you are in the mood for a period drama involving a love triangle.

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Critic Reviews

Peter Travers
September 26, 2002
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Kapur weighs down the tale with bogus profundities.

Richard Roeper
September 23, 2002
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Ledger does a great job in the action sequences and the more tender scenes. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
September 20, 2002
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

It's a pretty compelling yarn, not to mention full of pretty pictures, and yet it could be so much more than that.

Stephen Hunter
September 20, 2002
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

A movie that lacks the jingoistic bravura of earlier editions ... but hasn't replaced it with meaningful historical revisionism appropriate to our post-colonial age.

Peter Howell
September 20, 2002
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

What's missing, crucially, is the passion required to make this unlikely tale work. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
September 20, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A spectacular-looking film, but its ambivalent story and viewpoint ultimately drag it down. Full Review

Joe Baltake
September 20, 2002
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Despite its intelligence, the film essentially works as a big action movie. Full Review

John Anderson
September 20, 2002
John Anderson, Newsday

It's an essentially stupid movie. Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
September 20, 2002
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

The Four Feathers has rewards, from the exoticism of its seas of sand to the fierce grandeur of its sweeping battle scenes. Full Review

Susan Stark
September 20, 2002
Susan Stark, Detroit News

There's no denying the physically spectacular qualities of the film ... or the emotional integrity of the performances. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Four Feathers Trivia

  • Which actress turned down the role of Mary Jane Watson in Spiderman (2002) to act in the film The Four Feathers?  Answer »
  • he was the lord of dogtown, and there he bacame a knight, who was apart of the Four Feathers who hated 10 things about....someone  Answer »
  • Which actor dueled with lances and won the girl's heart, hated ten things about Julia Stiles, fought patriotically for our country, and found his way back from the desert to return four feathers?  Answer »
  • In the movie 'Four Feathers' what did the feather signify?   Answer »
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