Much has been made of the fact that Laurence Fishburn is the first black actor to play "Othello" on the screen, and, of course, it's about time.

Fishburne is an interesting choice, though, in that he's normally associated with urban thrillers. He uses his tough-guy persona and physical stature to maximum efficiency, however, emphasizing Othello's nature as a brooding, intimidating authority figure of great power who knows how to handle his enemies - and yet, as someone who can't see the treachery in his closest associate.

Fishburne is also a technically proficient actor, delivering his lines with great force. But he is somewhat aloof and distant, and some of his scenes with Irene Jacob, as his wife Desdemona, seem a bit artificial, as the theatricality shows through the seams.

Not that it hinders the production's overall success, however, which gets a tremendous boost from the casting of Kenneth Bran-agh as the conniving Iago. He just blows everybody else off the screen, as he portrays Othello's manipulative aide as someone who has been thinking about his master's downfall for some time. It's just a matter of timing and pushing all the right buttons - and Iago knows where each one is.

His mindgames with the Moor of Venice, contrived to make him jealous of his faithful wife, will be Othello's undoing, of course. And eventually, Iago's as well.

Branagh's performance is really a marvel, as his character seems to become more and more mad as the film progresses. And he delivers his lines with a crisp clarity that allows the poetry of Shakespeare to be much more understandable to a young audience that may be less familiar with the Bard.

Given that, and the structure of the film - theater director Oliver Parker has adapted the play by cutting it nearly in half and giving the pacing a '90s, forward-structure - why is there an R-rated sex scene, which may prevent that younger audience from attending?

Parker is not the most visually inventive of cinematic directors, though he does take advantage of Venice locations in a couple of places. Most of the film is as dark and brooding as its story, however, and the camera tends to play it safe.

Purists may grumble about changes, but even in this abridged form, Shakespeare's language and storytelling seem preserved quite well.

The most appropriate comparison might be the Mel Gibson version of "Hamlet," which also played around with the text but was a hugely satisfying production that appealed to a much broader audience than Shakespeare normally reaches these days.

If that happens with this production, all the better.

"Othello" is rated R for violence, sex, nudity, some vulgarity and one or two profanities.