The Legend of Bagger Vance
A golfer regains his faith and game through the help of a caddy.
From Caddyshack to Happy Gilmore to Tin Cup, golf movies have covered a wide spectrum of angles and have consistently been good. I think this holds true for The Legend of Bagger Vance, where Matt Damon plays Rannulph Junuh, the best golfer in Savannah. He’s living the high life as he has the rich and lovely Adele Invergordon (Charlize Theron) by his side. However, this ends when he’s called to Europe to fight in the war. Junuh comes back and reluctantly agrees to come back to golf against Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. Seeing as how he’s been gone a while, his game left him. A caddy, Bagger Vance (Will Smith), comes forth to help Junuh find his stroke to contend.
Through Robert Redford’s great direction and the hierarchy of stars, this film is completely underrated as it sailed under the radar. Matt Damon continues to be one of the best bet actors out there as he falls back on his roots as a troubled guy in search of some enlightenment, whether it being new or a regaining. Will Smith is great as the elusive caddy who bears advice that seems to work in mysterious ways, taking form in all the natural surroundings.
The camerawork with some of the golf shots is great as it heightens the tension as to what will happen in the very competitive match between the game’s bests at the time. If you had to pick one, Smith steals the show, but it’s certainly not like he leaves Damon and Theron in the dust. Some might reason that this is solely a golfer’s movie. I wouldn’t go that far, although golfers will certainly enjoy this movie. A few might argue that if you’re not a golfer then you won’t get it. I don’t know about that.
The Legend of Bagger Vance is an inspirational story of someone who is lost, restoring themselves in their battle of faith. How Bagger assists Junuh is touching to watch, as we see the entire evolution and growth of Junuh to his full potential. The element of the supernatural is very much present and is used in just the right amount, which really takes this movie to the next level.
Written by: John Berkowitz
Reviewers Rating: 7.5
Reader's Rating: 8.00
Reader's Votes: 1
Added: 2-Jul-2008
Talk to other readers about this story.
|
