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The Fisher King Details

1991 Certificate 15
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 6845 members

Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) a self-obsessed 'shock jock' who thinks he has it all, is about to hit rock bottom. The cult personality spends his time on the radio insulting and berating his listeners, but when one caller takes Jack's advice literally and opens fire on a New York City nightspot, Jack is sent swirling down into a .. Read more

Starring Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer
Director Terry Gilliam
Genres Drama

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The Fisher King

Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) a self-obsessed 'shock jock' who thinks he has it all, is about to hit rock bottom. The cult personality spends his time on the radio insulting and berating his listeners, but when one caller takes Jack's advice literally and opens fire on a New York City nightspot, Jack is sent swirling down into a depression that has him suicidal three years later. However, he is rescued out of the night by a different kind of knight in shining armour--a homeless man named Parry, played fabulously by Robin Williams, who thinks he's on a quest for the Holy Grail, which he believes to be in a Fifth Avenue town house. Parry serves as the living embodiment of Jack's guilt--Parry's beloved wife was killed in the nightclub massacre. Jack soon becomes conviced that by helping Parry he will also wind up helping himself, so he tries to help Parry win his lady love (Amanda Plummer), at the expense of risking his own relationship with Anne (Mercedes Ruehl, in an Academy Award-winning role), who has stood by his side during his downward spiral.
Terry Gilliam's romantic parable THE FISHER KING is yet another visually stunning work from a master filmmaker, with a different kind of heart from Gilliam's other films, delving deep into the nature of love and loss, of guilt and redemption, of character and tragedy. Featuring a terrific cast and unusual locations for a fantasy story (New York City, brilliantly photographed by Roger Pratt), THE FISHER KING is both an exciting adventure and a charming romance.

Starring Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer
Director Terry Gilliam
Studio UCA
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 17 mins
Certificate Certificate 15
Genres Drama
Language DVD: English
Subtitles DVD: Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Released DVD: 27 Oct 2003
Production year: 1991
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews (3) of The Fisher King

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  • 5 stars out of 5

    The Arthurian legend of a maimed warrior healed by the innocence of “a perfect fool” is given a magical update by director Terry Gilliam, tripping the light fantastic in his highly individual manner in this fantasy drama. Gilliam has an eerie knack of wringing visionary heart-tugging power from unsentimental if bizarre material, and Jeff Bridges's mythical search for redemption in the enchanted kingdom of New York fits the bill exactly. A magnificent perusal into what fires and feeds the soul, with super-tramp Robin Williams keeping his trademark zaniness in check until it really counts. But it's Oscar-winner Mercedes Ruehl's electrifying portrayal of moral betrayal that you'll remember long after the fade-out.

    • Radio Times
  • 2 stars out of 4

    Enjoyable more for its director's extravagances than for its attempt at modern myth-making, and finally too diffuse to be taken seriously.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Most helpful member's review of The Fisher King

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  • 11 out of 11 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A stunning modern fairy tale

    Jeff Bridges plays one of those obnoxious shock jocks. Everything in his life is going well - then a phone in caller takes his sarcastic advice seriously, and Bridges' life falls apart. And that's just the first ten minutes. Using elements from the Arthurian legends, Gilliam turns New York into a fairy tale city - the scene where couples dance in Grand Central Station is truly magical. When he meets the apparently mad Robin Williams, Bridges embarks on an heroic quest for the Holy Grail - but in reality for his own redemption. Beautiful and moving - it's all about how getting a second chance in life need not be a fairy tale.

      • A customer from London
  • Most recent members' review of The Fisher King

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  • 3 out of 4 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    human decline and redemption

    Captivating plot focussing on human decline and redemption. Delving into the depths of our greatest strengths and weaknesses, when coupled with the stunning visual images of which Terry Gilliam is the master - who could ask for more?

      • Japhet from Cambs
  • News and features

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    Vertigo

    The Imaginarium of Terry Gilliam

    • 13 Oct 2009

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Rating breakdown

6,845 Member ratings
  • 100
712
  • 90
659
  • 80
1,417
  • 70
1,295
  • 60
1,176
  • 50
617
  • 40
423
  • 30
258
  • 20
189
  • 10
99

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    • The Fisher King
      Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) a self-obsessed 'shock jock' who thinks he has it all, is about to hit rock bottom. The cult personality spends his time on the radio insulting and berating his listeners, but when one caller takes Jack's advice literally and opens fire on a New York City nightspot, Jack ...