Fear (1996)

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This movie brings a shade of Mark Wahlberg you really never see again it's intense it's every dad worst nightmare and a very young Reese Witherspoon is also very good in this movie

FearTeenage girls like to date bad boys because the nice guys aren't rich enough yet.Mind you, the young woman in this thriller is doing it to annoy her father.Sent to Seattle to live with father (William Petersen), his new wife (Amy Brenneman) and her son after being evicted by her mother, Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) meets the enigmatic David (Mark Wahlberg).Shortly after the two become an item, Nicole begins to miss her curfew – enraging her father who is already angry over David undermining his authority.By the time Nicole realizes David's true nature, he and his friends have surrounded her home and having begun terrorizing her family.The quintessential crazy ex-lover movie, Fear is not only loaded with outlandish behaviour on the part of the unstable party, but it also showcases Wahlberg's best performance to date.Incidentally, the only guy good enough for a man's daughter is a eunuch.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Story: When teenagers fall in love we all know that nothing much will come of it when one part turns into a bit of a psycho. We do get to see the highs of the relationship and how in love the couple are, but we also see the dark side once they start to break up. We see how one man snaps once he can't get what he wants and will go to great lengths in his mind games against the family before things get out of hand. It turns from a dull school girl romance into a home invasion psychological thriller. (7/10)Actor ReviewMark Wahlberg: David the charmer with a dark side because when love takes over he will stop at nothing to get his girl, disposing of whoever gets in his way. Good performance here showing his darker side and range early on in his career. (8/10)markReese Witherspoon: Nicole the sweet sixteen year old who falls for bad boy David, not noticing that he could have a darker side and wonders why he gets mad when she just stops seeing him, very naïve young girl. Good performance from Reese showing she was going onto bigger and better things. (7/10)reeseWilliam Petersen: Steve the architect father of Nicole who becomes suspicious of David early on but gets drawn into his mind games. Good protective father performance showing he always had the authority role down to a tee. (7/10)petersenDirector Review: James Foley – Good direction mixing genres as the film unfolds. (7/10)Thriller: Once the slow romantic story first finishes the thrills really start. (8/10)Settings: Some good isolated locations leaving the family trapped while the invasion happens. (7/10)Suggestion: This is one to try, fans of the actors should go back and see their early work and it is a solid thriller. (Try)Best Part: Wahlberg is frightening in the lead villain.Worst Part: Slow starting.Kill Of The Film: School friend.Scariest Scene: The dog scene.Believability: People can become that obsessed but I think this is a bit too far. (3/10)Chances of Tears: No (0/10)Chances of Sequel: NoPost Credits Scene: NoOscar Chances: NoBox Office: $21 MillionRuntime: 1 Hour 35 MinutesTagline: He's dying to date youOverall: Solid Thriller About A Lost Love

Fear is directed by James Foley and written by Christopher Crowe. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petesen, Alyssa Milano and Amy Brenneman. Music is by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Thomas Kloss.One of the number of psycho-sexual thrillers that surfaced in the 80s and 90s, Fear has the narrative hook that it involves teenagers. Witherspoon is the girl who invites drifter David McCall (Wahlberg) into her life, only to find he's as unstable as unstable can be. Director Foley and his team then produce a film that pretty much cribs from a number of other similar themed movies. All of the key scenes will be instantly familiar to genre film watchers, and unfortunately the plot twists and turns come as no surprise.However, in spite of the lack of originality in structure and narrative thrust, Fear is never dull, not even when Wahlberg is wistfully looking into Witherspoon's eyes like a love sick puppy. Suspense is on hand for the big finale, which unfolds with kinetic brutality, and it's also nice here to find that some thought has gone into the characterisations of those in peril. Kloss' photography around the various Seattle locales is vividly appealing, as is Burwell's music compositions, while the acting performances are all on the good side of good, with nobody harming the balance of the piece.A teenage Cape Fear – cum – Straw Dogs - cum – Fatal Attraction, but good with it regardless. 7/10