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"O" (* * 1/2)
By Erik Childress, NepaNights

Twelve days after the release of The China Syndrome in 1979, a little event known as Three Mile Island occurred. In 1986, a harmless little movie like SpaceCamp had the bad fortune to show up two weeks after the Challenger tragedy. In 1999, as a film described as a modern day retelling of Shakespeare's Othello was coming along in the editing room, news of a school shooting in Colorado rocked the headlines. No one could ever predict that the town of Boulder would become synonymous with a high school named Columbine, but it seemed like a rather easy decision for the film's distributor to delay the release of "O", a story rooted in jealousy, lies and violence.

Sensitivity not withstanding, Othello is a universal morality tale that is even more relevant today, especially in the wake of a tragedy like Columbine. "O", almost by default, becomes a more compelling narrative in the age of kids killing kids, but manages to default its own power by ending on a far more disturbing and insulting note than simply 'teenagers getting shot'.

Of all the recent Shakespeare "modernizations", this film probably pulls the trick off best. The castle settings of Venice have made way for an exclusive boarding school where Odin Jones (Mekhi Phifer) is the star basketball player. He's adored by his girlfriend, Desi (Julia Stiles) and loved like a son by the team's coach, Duke Goulding (Martin Sheen). Of course, Coach Duke already has a son, Hugo (Josh Hartnett) and he's the one person that shows Odin no love.

Hugo then sets off an elaborate scheme to knock Odin off of his perch, starting by exploiting picked-on student Roger Rodriguez (Elden Henson). The key to the deception is to convince Odin under the guise of a trusted confidant, that his main girl is sneaking off behind his back with basketball go-to-guy Michael Casio (Andrew Keegan). Then and only then, Hugo concludes, his father will show him the respect he feels he rightfully deserves.

Naturally, anyone familiar with the Bard's tale knows, at least, the Cliff Notes version of the story and all its major twists. Even the characters in the movie study Shakespeare at one point, which if they were paying attention (as the teacher observes) they may have actually realized that they were acting out the very plot of Othello. "I thought he only wrote movies," Hugo jests in the kind of humorous ignorance you may find in many schools across America.

Shakespeare may not have had the opportunity to write screenplays, but if he did they would likely either be chopped up and dumbed down or shelved into an "intelligence pile" that never sees the light of a projector. Director Tim Blake Nelson and screenwriter Brad Kaaya do a respectable job in getting the tone just right and keeping the essence of this story intact, but while it might have all of the bolts, it's a few nuts short.

For every minor addition there seems to be a subtraction that hurts the various sub-treacheries, giving us pause when we should be dreading the future. Hugo's trepidation with his father's waning attention is a perfect addition to Iago's seemingly unmotivated hatred in the original play (although speculation over a lost promotion and an alleged infidelity between Othello and Iago's wife, Emilia, can be cited as impetus). Roger's infatuation for Desi is never quite fleshed out and this omission hurts the initial set-up of the guile. Even Hugo's girlfriend, Emelia, has loyalties that are never quite clear. One scene she seems ready and willing to get in on the action, the next she's condemning his behavior.

And why shouldn't she? After all, Hugo creates new words for despicable with each ensuing act and while he's not worthy of our sympathy, at least he somewhat takes responsibility for his own actions; a character trait that escapes Odin in the end. In a final speech, Odin shifts the blame for his misdeeds from himself to the "white boy." (If this wasn't a film about teenagers, he might have said "the man.") It's all his fault, according to Odin, and in many ways it is. But all Hugo did was put events in motion through innuendo and talk. Odin uses no weapon but his own hands to commit his acts of villainy. Not a gun. Not a knife. Not a violent video game. His bare hands. The world was his oyster and he sends it back because he found a pearl inside. "Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe."

Mekhi Phifer is very good in the titular role, a character we feel sympathy for up to the point where he fails to act like a man. Josh Hartnett continues to play a single note that could only be identified on Name That Tune as an out-of-key version of "The Magic Store" (from "The Muppet Movie".) Yet, he remains watchable only because he's playing one of the best villains in literary history. Julia Stiles (now in a modern Shakespeare trifecta after "10 Things I Hate About You" and last year's awful "Hamlet") continues to look like a line reader while Martin Sheen (looking ready to have another heart attack in just about every scene) and Elden Henson are very effective in small, but key roles.

In a time and place when blameshifting has become as common as washing your hands after going to the bathroom, it's perhaps sweet irony that the film shares the same title of Oprah Winfrey's magazine. "O" is well-made enough for those looking for a timeless tale without all that vexing Shakespeare speak (i.e. the disastrous modern day "Romeo & Juliet" and "Hamlet"). The excisions in plot and character may have been a final editing solution to make this controversial film as short as possible, but the power of its tragedy, like any school shooting, is cheapened when their creators try to justify their outcome by displacing the burden away from those who pulled the trigger... or used their own hands, which is a far more dangerous message than anything we could see with our own eyes.

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