Product Details

• Actors: Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, Josh Hartnett, Andrew Keegan, Rain Phoenix
• Directors: Tim Blake Nelson
• Writers: Brad Kaaya, William Shakespeare
• Producers: Anthony Rhulen, Betsy Danbury, Brad Kaaya, Daniel Fried, Eric Gitter
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Trimark Home Enterta
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005UF9K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,061 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When you compare O to William Shakespeare's Othello, you'll realize just how well this modern adaptation really works. Shakespeare's tragedy transfers nicely to the film's contemporary private school setting, where Othello is now Odin (Mekhi Phifer), star of the basketball team and the school's only African American student. Desdemona is Desi (Julia Stiles), the dean's daughter and Odin's girlfriend, and Iago is Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the coach's steroid-shooting son, who jealously plants seeds of doubt that fester in Odin's mind, leading them all to a tragically violent fate. As directed by Tim Blake Nelson (who played the dimwit Delmar in O Brother, Where Art Thou?), this is a clever and serious interpretation of Shakespeare that, sadly, was shelved for two years when its distributor balked at potential comparisons to the Columbine massacre. Such fears were pointless; this well-acted film delivers an anti-violence message that younger viewers will readily appreciate. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

This transposition of "Othello" to a Southern prep school, with Mekhi Phifer as a black star basketball player, Julia Stiles as his white girlfriend, and Josh Hartnett as a jealous white rival on the team, was held from distribution for two years, following the shootings at Columbine, but there was probably no need for caution, since the movie is sincere, nonexploitative, and heartfelt, and has no resemblance to any of the school shootings. Phifer's performance develops some tragic power, but Hartnett's Iago figure, without the benefit of verse-or Verdi's music-seems merely improbable. The movie is a decent try, but the attempts to stay close to Shakespeare's plot and to say something about American racism make for a complicated and confused way of telling a story that should have been straightforward. With Martin Sheen as the volatile coach of the basketball team. Directed by Tim Blake Nelson, sensitively, but without sensuality or excitement. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An insightful retelling of Shakespeare's "Othello.", May 28, 2001

By 

A. C. Walter "awalter" (Lynnwood, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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"O" sets the tragedy of "Othello" in a modern high school where Odin James, the only black kid in a high school full of rich white kids, has been brought to the school for his skill on the basketball court. He is about to lead his team through the playoffs, and he has recently won the love of a dean's daughter, Desi. However, the coach's angry son Hugo is also on the team. Neglected by his father and overshadowed by Odin, Hugo forms a vicious plan, resulting in a bloody and all too familiar disaster.

The filmmakers pull no punches and opt for a fairly straight adaptation, doing an admirable job of staying true to the Shakespeare's plot and characters while avoiding his language in favor of an entirely original script. Though rap music, guns, drugs, cars, and the basketball court do figure into the story, these modern trappings never overshadow the human drama. Director Tim Blake Nelson lets his camera tell the story in a refreshingly simple manner, refusing the typical gimmickry of modern cinema; and a very solid cast carries the story well. Josh Hartnett as Hugo is perhaps the most outstanding--his angsty Ivy League face, reminiscent of Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard, always captures the bitter essence of his character.

Though the film was completed in 1998, the release of "0" was repeatedly delayed due to the rash of high school shootings in the late 1990s. While it is understandable that such incidents of youth violence should make film studios cautious, this is one film which stands apart with a mature and timeless message about hate and the seeds of tragedy.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "O" is eye-opening and mind-blowing., September 10, 2001

By 

D. Litton (Wilmington, NC) - See all my reviews
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Never having seen or read William Shakespeare's play "Othello," I was unsure what to expect from "O," a film that begins somewhat slowly, and then kicks into a higher gear as the plot thickens. This modern update of the classic play pays a great tribute to the work of Shakespeare, while also featuring some very well-wrought performances and a third act that is disturbing and affecting at the same time.

Taking place in Charleston, South Carolina, at the high-class Palmetto Grove prep school, the film begins with a basketball game as Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), brings the team to yet another victory, while the wildly jealous Hugo (Josh Hartnett) looks on from the sidelines. Odin's fame among his teammates and fellow students, not to mention his stable relationship with Desi Brable (Julia Stiles), the daughter of the school's headmaster, enrages Hugo, who keeps his cool and concocts a plan of earning Odin's fame for himself.

At this point, the actors have proved themselves very worthy of the film's many complex emotions. Phifer is also able to convince us of Odin's inner strength and sense of devotion to Desi, and Stiles mirrors these attributes in her character. The two share a warm and inviting chemistry seen little in films of a teenage nature; this is due in large part to the time the movie devotes to the developing of their relationship. This drawn-out approach may seem a bit tedious, but it serves to better the film by enhancing our connection with these two characters.

It is Josh Hartnett, however, who steals most of the show as Hugo, instilling in him a subtle sense of deception that can be quite chilling. Hartnett handles the material just as it needs to be, in a calm, laid-back fashion. Hugo is the type of person who steps on those around him to get where he wants to be, and for this to work, he must show no emotion over the actions he takes; Hartnett captures this trait beautifully.

As Hugo's jealousy grows, so do his evil plans. He involves many others in his quest for revenge; when fellow teammate Michael is temporarily kicked off the team, Hugo offers a glimmer of hope by suggesting that he get Desi to convince Odin to suggest to the coach that he be reinstated. Hugo then plays on Odin's doubts, filling him with suggestions that Desi may be sharing more than just friendship with Michael.

This begins an increasingly fascinating descent into untruths, deceit, and evil, as each character becomes involved in a final plot twist that will decide each of their fates. This, accompanied by the slowly progressing beginning and middle, make this one of the best Shakespeare reworkings I've seen to date. Everything about the film rings true to his work, right down to the dialogue, which, even in its modern state, evokes the tones and emotions that his original writings also do.

That final act is what almost kept the film from reaching the silver screen. Filmed before the Columbine High School disaster, the film was shelved for fear that it would create a stir after that most brutal act. Seeing it now makes it that much more effective; it takes teenage issues, like jealousy, loyalty, betrayal, trust, and love, and casts them into a light that no other film would dare touch. The violence that permeates the film's ending is gratuitous, yes, but it also serves as a warning sign of just how out of control our society can be.

"O" can be considered an unconventional teenage film, due to its daring approach, and its success in carrying out that approach in a convincing manner. Its lead actors are able to sell us on the characters they play, while the story itself stays in touch with the many messages embodied in all of Shakespeare's works. At first, I found the film somewhat tiresome; upon further thought, it gains luster.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars O, if only other renditions could be as fine as this!, September 24, 2004

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K. Huff (Radnor, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: O (Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD)

Those who are familiar with the play Othello will have no trouble guessing what happens in this dark tale of jealously and desire. How it happens, though, is a completely different story, and it is interesting to see how this timeless classic plays itself out.

O is an excellent (albeit haunting) rendition of the Shakespeare play, with Mekhi Pheiffer in the title role as the stellar athlete Odin (Othello) who finds himself the only black student at an elite boarding school. Josh Hartnett is Hugo (Iago), the jealous, brooding teammate who tries to steal Odin's fire. Julia Styles is Desi (Desdemona), and the rest of the cast does an excellent job of rounding this trio out.

There were two things about this movie which are of some importance. The scarf, for one (which also appears in the play). It seems to take on a life of its own, as Odin becomes more and more outraged at the idea that Desi might be cheating on him with his teammate Mike, the passion becoming so consuming that he can't control himself. The other was the hawk, the school mascot. Hugo compares himself and Odin repeatedly to the hawk- how the hawk has to soar and be independent.

The movie does an excellent job of transposing Shakespeare's ideas to the big screen and into modern language. Take, for example, the scene in which Hugo tries to plant seeds of doubt in Odin's mind about his girlfriend's fidelity. Here, the schene takes place in a weight room, and Josh Harnett, in that kind of sexy, seductive way he has, is wonderfully sly and manipulative. In this he does a far better job than Kenneth Branaugh did in the 1995 film.