It's been said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks and that you can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink. Anyone with a pet knows that animals often seem to have a mind of their own and behave according to some unseen, pre-wired instructions that make them react in certain ways. As such, and as seen in person and on TV, birds flock across the world according to the changing seasons, salmon swim upstream to spawn, and squirrels start hoarding nuts not because they consciously want to, but because instinct causes them to.
The same holds true for "Star Wars" fans who are mysteriously drawn to camp out in line for tickets days or even weeks before the latest film opens -- oops, that's sheer stupidity, not instinct, but I digress.
Although the rest of us consider ourselves more civilized than them and the rest of the world's critters, we're all still animals. The big question, however, is just how much primal instinct remains in humans after the strains of civilization, the 9 to 5 job, etc... have taken their toll on our preprogramed natural tendencies.
That's the underlying theme of "Instinct," a film that manages to somewhat transcend its rather straightforward and seemingly less than tremendously compelling plot. Something of a mixture of "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Gorillas in the Mist" with bits of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Shawshank Redemption" thrown in for good measure, the film suffers a bit from somewhat unfavorable comparisons to those great films.
While it still manages to be entertaining despite that, the film also occasionally nearly derails from some too obvious symbolic moments and dialogue -- concerning Tarzan-like thoughts of "nature good, civilization bad" -- and for not arguing both sides of the issue. While it's easy to have a one-way diatribe, a heated, intelligent debate -- if presented properly -- makes for far more entertaining drama.
Unfortunately, that's not to be. As such, Cuba Gooding, Jr., who satisfactorily plays the archetypal young professional who thinks he's done with his training, simply exchanges Donald Sutherland for Anthony Hopkins as his sage. Thus, there's the inevitable and rather predictable, but still crowd pleasing transformation from the cold and calculating professional to the caring and compassionate graduate of life.
While that works better in description than realized execution -- since we never really feel that baby-faced Cuba is a non-caring hustler -- we still have to deal with the fact that his character -- like Hopkins' once he's chucked his camera and binoculars -- can finally see "real" life clearly for the first time.
Some may gag over those obvious life lessons, as well as Cuba having to deliver the big emotional scene near the end -- which is followed by an unnecessary and unbelievable last shot -- but the movie manages nonetheless to survive those and other rather stilted moments.
Helmed by Jon Turteltaub ("Phenomenon," "Cool Runnings") who's working from a script by Gerald DiPego ("Message in a Bottle," "Phenomenon") -- that was "suggested" by Daniel Quinn's novel, "Ishmael" -- the film has its share of crowd pleasing moments. Nonetheless, it meanders back and forth so often between those aforementioned influential movies that it often feels like a split personality victim in need of a session with the story's shrink.
Simply put, the plot is concerned with telling a "why did he do it" type story. By making the killer an animalistic and presumably psychotic character, the filmmakers obviously hope to intrigue and draw us into the story, and on a basic level they succeed. Nonetheless, the film never quite seems as spectacular as it should, as if one of its cylinders was missing, and thus isn't as exciting, moving or disturbing as Turteltaub and company had hoped.
To make matters worse, most viewers will probably compare this film to the spectacular "The Silence of the Lambs." That's mostly due to Anthony Hopkins similarly playing an imprisoned, homicidal character who turns the tables on his novice interrogator and teaches him a thing or two about life and psychoses. Yet, this film clearly isn't as deep or as compelling as "Lambs," and is missing the intriguing subplot that gave that film much greater depth.
The gorilla flashback scenes, of course, will inevitably remind viewers of the Sigourney Weaver film about doomed researcher Dian Fossey. While those scenes are rather realistic -- thanks to cinematographer Philippe Rousselot and effects wizard Stan Winston and his ape crew -- they often come off more like "Gorillas in the Mist Lite" instead of obtaining the wondrous and awe- inspiring feel they try to both create and emulate.
It's the cast and their performances, however, that make the film work and turn the film into mostly enjoyable entertainment. Of course, Sir Anthony Hopkins ("Meet Joe Black," "The Edge") could make a Pauly Shore movie seem palatable. While there are some similarities between Ethan Powell and Hannibal Lecter, Hopkins gives each of them subtle -- and sometimes not so subtle -- nuances that allow the two characters to come off more like distant cousins than identical twins.
Fellow Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. ("Jerry Maguire," "What Dreams May Come") gives an intense performance that, for the most part, works although he fortunately doesn't ever get to the point of yelling "Show me your past!" While an emotion-laden scene late in the film teeters on pushing the credibility of his performance -- as some viewers will buy into the tears and others clearly won't -- Gooding's mostly believable and delivers a crowd pleasing take on his character.
Supporting performances from the likes of Donald Sutherland ("Disclosure") and Maura Tierney ("Forces of Nature") are good despite what appears may have been a building romantic subplot between her and Gooding that was thankfully either jettisoned or left on the cutting room floor. John Ashton's ("Beverly Hills Cop") take as the sadistic guard, however, never strays far from the prison movie stereotype.
All in all, the film is rather entertaining despite its striking similarities to past and unfortunately well-known pictures as well as moments that get a bit too preachy for their and the film's own good. With decent performances and a plot that manages to hold one's interest despite its limited potential and straightforward trajectory, this picture certainly isn't the summer's most spectacular film, but it's probably better than a great deal of what will follow. As such, we give "Instinct" a 6 out of 10.
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