FEAR (1996) - Movie Review

Director: James Foley
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen, Amy Brenneman, Alyssa Milano
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Writer: Christopher Crowe
Runtime: 97 min
Rated: R for strong graphic violence and terror, sexuality, language and drug use
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

This blog is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on my blog, I may earn an affiliate commission.

Synopsis:

First love can be innocent or intense, intoxicating...or insatiable. Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon and Alyssa Milano star in this riveting suspense-thriller about a passionate romance that soon becomes a deadly obsession. Nicole Walker (Witherspoon) always dreamed of being swept away by someone special - someone strong, sexy and sensitive who would care for her more than anything else in the world. David (Wahlberg) is all that and more: a modern-day knight who charms and seduces her, body and soul. But her perfect boyfriend is not all he seems to be. His sweet facade masks a savage, dark side that will soon transform Nicole's dream into a nightmare. Also starring William Petersen and Amy Brenneman.

Review:

"Fear" is your typical 1990s stalker thriller but with a teen twist. Director James Foley gives us hot actors, a rocking soundtrack, and a script by Christopher Crowe ("The Last of the Mohicans", "Whispers in the Dark") that wants to be edgy so bad. That works for a while, even when it borrows heavily from similar movies, until it all dissolves into a dumb mess.

Foley has directed one really good movie ("Glengarry Glen Ross") and a bunch of horrible disasters ("Perfect Stranger", "Fifth Shades Freed" and "Fifty Shades Darker"). He's competent enough, but his work has something of a workmanlike flavor. You can feel it here, with every predictable turn the story takes, showing no signs of any genuine artistry.

At least the cast is great. Reese Witherspoon is terrific even though her character is as one-dimensional as they come, and Mark Wahlberg is downright terrifying as prince-charming-turned-violent-sociopath. I only wish Wahlberg's character had a little more depth, but the actor brings enough intensity to his performance to make him a believable threat. We also get solid supporting roles from William Petersen ("CSI", "Manhunter"), Amy Brenneman ("Judging Amy", "The Leftovers") and Alyssa Milano ("Charmed", "Who's the Boss?"), who help save the movie from being a bore.

The first half of "Fear" is tolerable, thanks to its charismatic leads and a chilling premise that probably struck fear into the hearts of fathers of daughters. It's a fairly good looking movie overall, well shot and featuring a solid score composed by Carter Burwell. Things start to go downhill when the plot begins to align itself for the standard issue violent final showdown. That's when the dumbness sets in and burns down all the goodwill the movie built up to that point.

"Fear" is a middling thriller that can be fun to watch as a time capsule of the 1990s, however, I can't shake the feeling that a better director could have done wonders with this film.

SCORE: 6/10