FEAR (1996)

Directed By: James Foley 
Written By: Christopher Crowe 
Cinematography By: Thomas Kloss 
Editor: David Brenner 


Cast: Mark Wahlberg, William Peterson, Reese Witherspoon, Alyssa Milano, Amy Brenneman, Gary Riley, Jason Kristofer 

When Nicole met David; handsome, charming, affectionate, he was everything. It seemed perfect, but soon she sees that David has a darker side. And his adoration turns to obsession, their dream into a nightmare, and her love into fear.

This is one of the first movies I remember seeing Reese Witherspoon in on the big screen. I had watched other films in which she was supporting or were more tv-movies. But this was the first time in a mainstream movie that had an impressive budget.

This film comes off at first as a teen romance girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks who seems too goo to be true and is then the violence starts.

It comes off very suburban a father keeping his family safe from the dangerous element form the city. After awhile the film tries to keep you in it’s grip but you realize how silly it starts to become. Especially in the scene where Mr. Wahlberg mysteriously starts pounding his own chest.

Very early on the movie the movie sets itself apart. Not with a conventional sex scene. Some might consider it heavy petting but i don’t ever remember seeing it in a mainstream film so romantically and graphically, but there is a scene in a roller coaster where it is implied that mark’s character fingers Reese’s.

This is the first role where Mark Wahlberg actually impressed me at least with his acting and showed range. Not to mention that he can really act impressively. As the villain he comes off impressive. As his character show his boundary issues he refuses to show and obsessive nature. Though you wonder if he ever has done this before over a girl. Though as director James Foley once directed a young Sean Penn in AT CLOSE RANGE. Though this is a basic thriller it also comes off as a movie made to boost Mark Wahlberg into a more dramatic star, Made to show range as both a hearthrob and a bad boy villain

This film also marked a kind of comeback for Alyssa Milano. As up until this movie she more appeared in straight to video movies that usually involves some erotica. Here she plays the promiscuous best friend and a teenager once again. But she is very attractive in the film.

The rape scene while not graphic. As luckily we don’t see the act but we do see the animalistic nature of where a woman is just taken as property against her will and her boyfriend does nothing to stop it. Showing a kind of who the leader of the sock is and is Intimidating. Especially after processing his love for another. But the way he abuses her and takes her and seems to make his boys aware she is now also partly his property.

As I have gotten older I still insist they are also not smoking marijuana and more looks like they are smoking meth, crack definitely something harder then marijuana.

One thing the filmmakers strangely evident it that Mark Wahlberg doesn’t seems to like his friends or crew. As they seem to be his go to crew but dresses nothing like them not acts as repulsive as they do. So it makes one wonder why he even hangs with them other then the script calls for it. Not to mention they look like leftover rock thugs from the 1980’s as they seems so cliche and from the wrong era.

Through it all the film works in some kind of teen logic. Who it is obviously aimed at other then also fathers and daughters. As it is kind of a nightmare fantasy. That starts off as more a female one and slowly develops into a parents worst nightmare more aimed at fathers.

As most of the film seems more a one up man ship for Reese’s affections between her father and her boyfriend. Which in only a decade later they would make comedies about the same subjects and again who she supposedly Belongs to which is sexist but the film isn’t interested in that this is more of a guy’s movie dressed up as a chick flick. As it goes from romantic to a thriller with a siege home invasion in the third act.

The film actually denies any function of the Women in the film. As they seem to be either objects of lust or damsels in need of protection. As they don’t kill or really ahem s it go the main intruders. Only the men even the young son kills one of them. So that it is another film that seems sold to females to stay docile and pretty and some man will save and protect you from your mistakes.

Liv Tyler Turned down the role played by Resse Witherspoon.

This is another film that benefits from a great soundtrack. That helped the box office and proportion this movie forward. This movie actually got me into the band BUSH more. So it has that going for it.

I surprisingly enjoy the film but I even get annoyed by Reese’s character after a while with her constant whining.

For director James Foley he seems to try but this feels like slumming a bit. He is much better than this, yet he still made a good offering with this film.

In the end the film comes off more as a guilty pleasure. As the film can be unintentionally funny at times. While taking itself so serious.

GRADE: C+