Fear (1996)

When you see a movie edited on tv and you say "I have got to own this movie!" then you know that it is really good. I was afraid to commit to it since it seemed like a CRUSH rip-off and I didn't want it to outstand my beloved favorite movie. It didn't. But, it's still a creepy little thriller about obsession, love and murder.

Meet Nicole Walker. A 16 year old girl with sex on her mind. Her father just married a woman and has a new stepbrother. Her girlfriend Margo Masse and her friend Gary decide one day, to be late for school and to go get some food at a gritty coffee shop. Nicole glances at David but doesn't really meet him until a party later that night. When the party becomes a riot, Nicole escapes with David to sit around and talk. It's love at first sight.

One night, Nicole tells David that she's ready to have sex. He says he's with some friends and has to do something. She tells him it's alright and to come over after and she tells him the code to the front door. Well, David comes in and they have sex. A day later or so, David goes to Nicole's school to pick her up, he see's Gary hug her. Not good in David's eyes. He goes over and beats the crap out of Gary and in the process, hits Nicole in the face, giving her a black eye.

Nicole's father is more than pissed. David seems to give him the creeps. When he confronts David, David says "You know, Mr. Walker-you really aren't a f***ot." Mr. Walker tells David to stay away from Nicole. After Mr. Walker leaves, David starts hitting himself in the chest. He tells Nicole that her father hit him. So she runs off with David, feeling sorry for him. He asks her if she wants to go to a party when he brings her back to her house. She tells him no. But after a few seconds, when he leaves, she decides to drive over herself. She goes there, and looks in a window to see Margo being abused and about to be raped by her "true love" David.

She now discovers David's true dark side. She won't talk to him so he "attacks" her in a bathroom at the mall. Mr. Walker's red car gets smashed up with a note on the broken window saying "Now I've poped both your ........!"....Mr. Walker finds out where David and his gang lives and ruins the place. When the group finds the place in ruins, David knows exactly who it is. And by their law "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a ...... tooth" they decide to pay the Walker family a little visit...

What worked in this movie was the psychotic attitude of David. He's a soid good actor and a damn good liar. You know he's bad but you really like him. He seems perfect. You try to like him after his accidently hitting Nicole but it becomes harder and harder.

RECCOMENDED TO FANS OF:

Fatal Attraction (1987)

The Crush (1993)

The Stepfather (1987)

CAST

Mark Wahlberg...........David McCall

Reese Witherspoon....Nicole Walker

William L. Petersen.....Steve Walker

Amy Brenneman..........Laura Walker

Alyssa Milano..............Margo Masse

THE MOVIE: 3/4

THE PICTURE QUALITY: 10/10 Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with only a very very very small amount of grain. Basically, perfect.

THE AUDIO QUALITY: 10/10 5.1 surround is perfect for my TV's sound system. No upping the volume for me! There is also a Dolby Surround French track.

THE SPECIAL FEATURES: Production notes on the film, cast & crew bios and film credits (Only pre-FEAR movies are shown), a trailer with a lot of grain and Universal Weblinks (basically pointless).

SUBTITLES: English and spanish.

You just know when you see photo booth snaps of Nicole and David (Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg) kissing and snuggling cleverly juxtaposed with David's jailhouse mugshot on his bedroom wall...this won't be a cinematic enigma wrapped in a riddle. Fear certainly doesn't require much thought on the part of the moviegoer.

But it isn't entirely bad though, if you are prepared for predictable teen angst and psycho boyfriend antics. Reese Witherspoon plays the virgin nymphet Nicole Walker, desperately pining for brooding bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks David McCall, deliciously played by Mark Wahlberg. With the help of "gets around" pal Margo (Alyssa Milano), Nicole soon begins to develop a close bond with David, and (surprise surprise) even loses her virginity to him.

But of course, no such plot would be complete without the overprotective father, played by CSI's William Petersen. Suspicious of his daughter's new boyfriend from the start, he forbodes their relationship from the very beginning. That's when things go "psycho"...

David quickly begins to sport the crazy-serious-insane-obssessed face whenever any other guy goes near Nicole or when her father tries to keep them apart. Where does this get everyone? In a whole mess of unbelievable trouble that will leave the moviewatcher saying "hello? this would never happen!" while watching the movie through their hands.

All in all, not a terrible flick. The ending definitely could have had better closure, but you can't expect too too much given the corny plot. Oh, and of course, you get to see Mark Wahlberg without his shirt on. That, in itself, makes the movie worth at least one look. :)

Buy Fear (1996) Now

This is a little known film from the early 90's. The movie takes it's time to flesh out the characters and to build some tension, but when it lets loose, it delivers! Mark Wahlberg gives a very chilling performance as a class 'A' nut job in this above average thriller. It smells like TV, but it's much better than that. Reese Witherspoon and the rest of the cast are very good as well. I rate it 3 1/2 stars.

Read Best Reviews of Fear (1996) Here

While this movie had mixed opinions from critics, I thought it was thoroughly underrated. I didn't really see what this movie didn't have to please people around the globe. It had a story, and an intriguing one at that, it had a lot of genres to mix its story up in, it had well-developed characters especially the character of the father and it had excellent direction, acting and a great script that explores further into the world of terror. The film succeeds highly because of its characters and the original bunch they are. Reese Witherspoon plays the short-skirt wearing, blonde-haired and extremely family-bound and nice young girl that gets involved with a psychopath and doesn't know how to take it. Mark Wahlberg plays this psychopath excellently, his character is someone obsessed with Witherspoon's character and we will go to any great lengths to protect her and assure that his and her relationship is safe. And then he gets violent, very violent, and the outcome is horrifying. The father is not the most original character in the film, but the most developed. He is the caring, brave and extremely clever dad who wants the best for his daughter but doesn't want to hurt her. Anyway, enough about the characters. The rest of the movie rocks too the script is surprisingly original for its premise, taking the boy-meets-girl, girl-dumps-boy, boy-gets-angry angle to new areas in psychological horror. The suspense scenes are incredibly tense and the movie has some gut-wrenchingly scary but incredibly good ideas. I really enjoyed the director's point of view and liked the way he built his film as each of the characters slowly drifts off. I appreciated this thriller a lot and think it is worth your time, but beware, you're in for a pretty darn scary and atmospheric ride!

Want Fear (1996) Discount?

EThis was a good movie. It was very much full of suspense. Good story too. One thing it definitely supported was my strong conviction in the right to own a gun. This is a movie is a must see for a candy*** liberal do-gooder who doesn't believe in the private ownership of guns. That person might have a changed view on gun control after viewing this (I hope). I recommend this movie for Rosie O'Donnell and Michael Moore and other peeps of their ilk. This would be rather educational for them.

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