RELATIVE FEAR (1994) A "Turkey of the Week" film review by Justin Felix Copyright 1998 Justin Felix
Rating: *** (out of five)
Written by Kurt Wimmer Directed by George Mihalka Starring Darlanne Fluegel, James Brolin, Denise Crosby, M. Emmet Walsh Rated R (contains violence and profanity) 94 minutes
Synopsis: The mother of an autistic boy becomes suspicious after three people die in her home in as many days. Also suspicious of the "accidental" deaths, a police detective investigates by prowling around the house uninvited and interrogating the four-year-old boy who has never spoken a word in his entire life.
Comments: RELATIVE FEAR is a better-than-average suspense film featuring a very solid script. Writer Kurt Wimmer crafts some well-developed, believable characters, and his plot unwinds like a good Dean Koontz novel. A piano teacher and a professor, and their autistic son, Adam, are the main characters, and the sometimes strained relationship between the three provide some interesting drama early in the film. What's nice about RELATIVE FEAR, though, is that a number of intriguing supporting characters come in and out of the movie. More attention is given to developing these characters than is given to the cardboard cut-outs who typically populate movies of this genre. Wimmer's plot successfully manages to keep the viewers guessing who the killer is, as Adam, the professor, and a tutor appear to be suspects at different times in the film. RELATIVE FEAR also raises some questions about such social issues as home schooling and TV violence without allowing those issues to take center stage and disrupt the storyline.
The acting, for the most part, is pretty good. RELATIVE FEAR sports a strong stable of veteran actors giving fine supporting performances. James Brolin handles his police detective role in an authoritative manner, and M. Emmett Walsh plays a suspicious, sickly old man convincingly. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's Denise Crosby turns in a surprisingly creepy performance as a mentally-disturbed prisoner who casts into doubt whose child Adam really is. Matthew Dupuis, the child playing Adam, also manages to handle several suspenseful scenes in his near-silent performance capably.
RELATIVE FEAR is certainly not the turkey I expected it to be (which is good), but it's not a perfect film either. Its conclusion, when the killer is revealed, is a little hard to believe, and it ends on a disappointingly superficial and cliched note. Overall, however, I would recommend this film to someone looking for a good video rental.
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