Chris McCarty

By the looks of the previews for “The Four Feathers,” one could easily assume it is just another war tale with heartthrob actors. Guess again.

True, it stars Heath Ledger (“The Patriot”) and Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous”), two of the sexiest stars in the business these days, but it’s not their looks that fuel this spectacular piece of filmmaking.

It’s the universal story of redemption and friendship, and a rare confidence in itself that make “Four Feathers” an instant classic.

Harry Feversham (Ledger) is the man. He is one of the finest young British soldiers in his regiment, head over heels in love with his gorgeous bride-to-be, Ethne (Hudson), not to mention a heck of a rugby player.

All is going well for Feversham until his regiment is notified that it will ship off to war to retake a British fortress in Khartoum, Africa.

Steeped in self-doubt, Harry resigns his commission just one day before being shipped off to war. Three of Harry’s friends and his fiancé send him white feathers, a symbol of cowardice, because they do not understand why he has abandoned his friends.

His choice to leave the army has left him isolated, tormented and alone in London. When he learns of his best friend Jack (Wes Bentley of “American Beauty”) and his former comrades falling under attack by rebels, Harry must turn his fear into fuel to save his friends.

In the desert, he strikes up an allegiance with a mysterious warrior named Abou (Djimon Hounsou of “Amistad”).

What ensues is more than a chance for redemption. It’s a genuine story of friendship. One can easily tell the incredible cast are friends because you can’t act as authentically as they do.

Director Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth”) and writers Michael Schiffer (“Crimson Tide”) and Hossein Amini dig deep into each character, exploring the faces of the characters to find their driving force and examining self-doubt and redemption like no other motion picture has in the last few years.

The cast is perfect. Ledger shows he has many years ahead of him as a leading man, Hudson proves once again she is the next big actress and Bentley continues to stretch his acting talent.

But the movie belongs to Hounsou. His acting is simply phenomenal. Hounsou is the rarest of actors, possessing the confidence to stare in to his characters and perform as if possessed by their souls.

His confidence is a metaphor for the entire movie. “Four Feathers” is beautiful, powerful, but above all else, confident. It has the courage to be as powerful as it dares to be, a rare attribute to movies these days that seem to whimper when they need to howl.

“Four Feathers” packs a lion-like roar, and with confidence like that, it deserves to be seen.

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