Film Review: The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)

There are films that were supposed to enter history books for one thing, and became remembered for something quite different. One of the more embarrassing examples can be found in The Legend of Bagger Vance, 2000 period sports drama directed by Robert Redford, nowadays best remembered as an illustration of a controversial trope in American fiction.

The film is based on the eponymous novel by Steven Pressfield, itself inspired by Hindu sacred text Bhagavad Gita, namely the sections describing relationship between hero warrior Arjuna and god Krishna. The plot begins in 1910s Savannah, where the nominal protagonist Rannulph Junnuh (played by Matt Damon), son of the local wealthy family seems to have it all – top golfing talent that made him a hero of local community, as well as love of beautiful fiancee Adele Invegordon (played by Charlize Theron). He is widely expected to become US golf champion, but instead has to participate in quite different kind of contest after USA gets involved in First World War. Junnuh joins US Army and later returns from war physically unscathed and with Medal of Honor, but psychologically traumatised by the horrors he witnessed. He abandons both golf and Adele and seeks solace in drinking. A decade later, Savannah is, like the rest of the country, struck with Great Depression. Adele tries to save her father’s golf course by staging exhibition tournament featuring Walter Hagen (played by Bruce McGill) and Bobby Jones (played by Joel Gretsch), two best golfers of their time. Savannah city fathers, however, insist that a local player must also attend, so the choice falls on Junnuh. His golfing skills have become rusty, so he takes new caddy, mysterious black man Bagger Vance (played by Will Smith) who turns out to be more of a spiritual advisor than someone who carries his clubs.

The Legend of Bagger Vance was one of the more ambitious Hollywood projects. It was supposed to be first major Hollywood production based on Hindu sacred text and, as such, it brought many respected talent in front and behind the camera. The most important among them Robert Redford, former Hollywood screen idol and highly respected Oscar-winning director. He was probably attracted to the philosophical aspects of Pressfield’s novels and concept of golf a s metaphor for life. On the other hand, he was also attracted to the sports drama that takes place on golf courses as an opportunity to make beautiful shots of "untouched" nature, and in this sense The Legend of Bagger Vance is successful. The film is really pleasing to the eye. The cast is also quite impressive – from Jack Lemmon playing his last role as narrator to the young and talented J. Michael Moncrief who portrays the same character as a child. But the characters that this acting powerful bunch interprets are still too reminiscent of Hollywood clichés, whether it's the forced romance of Junnuh and Adele (a worthy contender to the lifeless coupling of Annakin and Amidala in Attack of the Clones), or the pretentious New Age phrases uttered by poor Will Smith, trying to be a better Obi-wan Kenobi than Alec Guinness. An additional problem with the film is an almost revisionist view of America's (relatively) near past, in which the South proves to be an almost idyllic society of racial harmony, which is quite a surprise given Redford's leftist reputation. The idea of mystical one-dimensional Bagger Vance being played by African American actor infuriated Spike Lee who began to describe this and similar characters in other Hollywood films with the words “Magic Negro”. All this is accompanied by its pathetic at times almost irritating music by Rachel Portman. However, this is not the main reason why The Legend of Bagger Vance will leave us, even those who enjoy the landscapes of Georgia and South Carolina, indifferent is theunpleasant impression that this film could have been far better.

RATING: 4/10 (+++)

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