The Four Feathers' disappoints despite potential

Heath Ledger stars in The Four Feathers, a new film that seems to question the motives of British Imperialism and then goes nowhere with it.

The movie opens on Harry Faversham (Ledger) leading a seemingly charmed life. He is the son of a decorated general, well loved by his friends, and is engaged to the beautiful Ethne (Kate Hudson). His life changes suddenly when he learns that his brigade is going to war in the Sudan. Faced with the prospect of war, Harry resigns his commission, only to be given white feathers, a symbol of cowardice _ a grave sin in 1885 _ from three of his friends, followed by Ethne. Although his closest friend, Jack (Wes Bentley) defends him, Harry's life is shattered.

Determined to prove them wrong, he travels to Sudan on his own in to join up with the army, although his intent when he succeeds is unclear. He changes his appearance and joins the regiment of slaves that is accompanying the British army. But, he is suspected to be a British spy by another of the slaves, Abou Fatma (Djimon Hounsou), who later befriends him.

Harry seems to disappear off the face of the earth, and his friends and family believe that he is dead. As he continues in his quest to redeem himself to his friends, he finds himself more and more enmeshed in the war, realizing that it will be harder to return to his old life.

The movie continues into a war movie, although never losing sense of the love story, however dirty Harry gets. In the end, the film is a little unsatisfying, because it never fully resolves any of the storylines, from Harry's reasons for resigning his commission, to his friendship with his best friend who, although he doesn't give Harry a white feather, wastes no time in trying to woo Ethne, to his relationship with his father or with Ethne. Harry's friendship with Abou is also not clear, although it is probably the most developed relationship in the movie.

Harry and Abou's friendship is one of the film's strongest points, and Ledger and Hounsou exhibit great chemistry while exploring that relationship. Hounsou is not given a whole lot to work with in the part, relegated to the part of the "noble savage," in the story, based on a novel written in 1902. He plays the part well, though, creating a character that has depth and charisma.

Wes Bentley plays Jack, Harry's best friend, and adds a much darker dimension to character. It is very interesting, but it makes one question why Harry is so incredibly attached to him. Ledger and Bentley play against each other very well, and there is a very touching scene at the end, through which both actors are able to say volumes without speaking a word.

Kate Hudson's performance is one of the weaker parts of the film. It seems that one of her goals was to make her as ugly as possible, which, being Kate Hudson, isn't that easy. She is a very unsympathetic character.

Throughout the movie, it doesn't seem as if she's really worth of Harry, especially after she casts him aside so easily in the beginning. It makes one wonder why Harry and Jack go through so many efforts for her. It seems an arbitrary decision as to whom she ends up with at the end of the film. While she could have been the most sympathetic character of the story, she just seems cold and uninteresting.

One aspect the movie truly accomplishes is the gorgeous scenery in Africa. Having previously directed Elizabeth, Shekhar Kapur brings the same visual intensity to his latest movie. It truly feels like an epic film, and some of the images in the desert are breathtaking. The sand dunes are immense, and the sheer size of the desert seems to dwarf the British army.

In the end, however, the movie fails to live up to its potential. It seemed as long as it was _ it was not a fast paced movie, although there was always something happening on the screen. Some of the subplots come from out of nowhere, never adding anything to the story. Although interesting, they are completely unnecessary, and in the end just make the movie feel even longer.

There are also several logical places for this film to end, and the one that was chosen was awkward. Although probably considered a "happy ending," it seems ill-fitting for the tone and the action of the rest of the movie.

If you want to go to this film and appreciate the beauty of Africa, you won't be disappointed. If you want a brainless action film, you'll probably enjoy it. The performances are all accomplished and many of the characters are very memorable, but it still feels like the movie is missing something. It starts down one path, ends up going up several others, and never fully satisfies. The film has some wonderful ideas that it seems to lose track of, and it never really has a central vision. For all of that, The Four Feathers is an enjoyable if not entirely fulfilling movie