“Why did it take Robin Williams’ death for me to learn about The Fisher King? Seriously, I had never even heard of it until it kept getting mentioned repeatedly in various tributes. I watched it first chance I got, and then several times again over the subsequent weeks. Williams had so many wonderful iconic roles, it’s hard to pick a list of his best, but this would surely have to be on it.
Directed by Terry Gilliam, Jeff Bridges plays a radio DJ, Jack, who thinks so highly of himself, he doesn’t notice the people down below him. When he finds himself indirectly responsible for a high profile murder suicide instigated by a regular caller for his show, he disappears into obscurity and depression. A few years later, he encounters a homeless man named Parry (Williams), who is as eccentric as they come, yet is somehow joyful in his obvious mental illness. When Jack finds out that Parry’s wife was among the victims in the shooting, he feels compelled to help, and the two form an unlikely and unusual friendship.
Okay that sounded cheesy. It’s not. Yeah there’s some uplifting moments, but there’s a dark undertone to the whole thing, which we all know is my sorta thing. Williams and Bridges both give incredible performances, that would be career defining if their careers weren’t already defined by various other remarkable roles. Certainly a film worth checking out or rediscovering”