INSTINCT **1/2 (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Donald Sutherland Director-Jon Turteltaub Rated PG
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Instinct is a good movie trapped in a gorilla suit of derivative clichés and plodding ideas. The result is an occasionally powerful, extremely well acted movie that never finds a confident emotional center.
Anthony Hopkins is a marvelous actor, with a screen presence that commands all of the viewer's attention toward him. At first glance of his role as Ethan Powell, a mentally disturbed anthropologist, you may think Hopkins is reprising his role as Hannibal Lector from The Silence of the Lambs. The character does have some of the same grisly mannerisms, but there is one big difference: he doesn't eat people. Still, Powell has killed two park rangers and wounded three others, while studying gorillas on location in the jungles of Rwanda.
Called in to investigate is a young, idealistic shrink named Theo Caulder (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who (predictably) goes at the assignment as if it were a walk in the park. From here, Instinct relies on the study of human behavior for interesting material. It's unfortunate that the movie never displays it's own humanity that strongly. There are isolated moments of sheer power, care of Hopkins and his dedicated performance, but the film's heart is rarely in the right place at the right time. Instinct is too uneven to be rightfully enjoyed.
The material here may have been rendered laughable if it weren't for the acting abilities of the two leads. Anthony Hopkins is excellent, and Gooding Jr. shows fierce optimism for scene after scene of his demanding role. Another disappointment is the lack of background supplied for the character of Theo Caulder. We're told that he's a hot shot shrink on the way up, but we never find out if he has a family, nor are we informed of his roots in the psychiatric business. Donald Sutherland has a minor role as Gooding's mentor and boss.
Even if the acting in Instinct is exceptional, it still cannot salvage the rest of the film. The storyline is similar to countless others, like Tarzan and The Shawshank Redemption, just to name a few. Scenes in which we learn the explanation for Powell's psychotic behavior are undoubtedly the most effective moments, but the presentation leaves much to be desired.
Another conventional sub-plot involves Powell being reunited with his daughter (Maura Tierney). But even as the film hovers around this subject for a large portion of running time, the meeting at the end lacks all the emotional potential that we were hoping for.
Instinct is not a bad film, but the misguided direction disables it from shining through. Once you get past the powerful performances from the two very capable actors, what you're left with is a troubled project with no driving force whatsoever.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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