I am a 48 year old married man with two children aged 18(boy) and 16(girl).I enjoy reading, buying a...
I am a 48 year old married man with two children aged 18(boy) and 16(girl).I enjoy reading, buying and selling(anything) films,food and music, especially soul/Motown. I also have a long haired Chihuahua who is my shadow
Member since:29.01.2001
Reviews:67
Members who trust:10
Before writing this review I checked to see if any others had been written about this movie.I found that two had been written both of which gave it a less than positive review.That left me thinking whether I had watched the same movie, as I thought it was very well put together.
The only negative thing I could say about the movie is that it is set against the world of baseball, which I know will not be everyones favourite setting for a film.
However, I think that the baseball setting is irrelivant in one way,as it could just as well have been set in the world of any major sport.
The high profile sports setting is necessary in that the meat of the film is the stalking of a top sports personality by a Fan who carries an unhealthy love of both baseball and a particular player.
The film stars Robert De Niro as the Fan(Gil Renard) and Wesley Snipes as the baseball Player who is the baseball equivalent of a David Beckham or a Michael Owen.
De Niro is a salesman whose life is quickly spiralling out of control. The only constant thing in his life is his love for the local big league baseball team.As events seem to conspire against him, De Niro becomes ever more obsessed with his team and their recent big money signing superbly played by Wesley Snipes.
Snipes character displays all the ugly personality traits that you would expect from a top earning sportsman who is pampered to constantly by his sickly agent.He expects to be treated as a star and makes huge demands on the club and its staff.
The two things that both characters have in common, is that the both have a son and of course their involvement in baseball.
The plot cleverly weaves a series of events that bring the two characters together.
De Niro, as always, puts in a top class performance. His portrayal of the 'Fan' slowly losing his grip on reality is both believable and thought provoking.I could not help feeling sorry for him in a way, despite his obvious mental unstability.
The film moves cleverly to a climax that is well worth waiting for.
It is not just a film about about baseball or a film about a Stalker, I thought it touched on many issues such as the differences between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' or what it is that makes someone lose touch with reality.
I think there is a thin line which fortunately most of us never get pushed into crossing.
I obviously enjoyed this film.The main actors were abley supported by Ellen Barkin as a Radio presenter and the actor who played the Agent to Snipes did a first class job.
I think it is well worth watching but to enjoy it fully, listen to the very clever script.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Drama - Director: Michael Caton-Jones - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, William Forsythe, George Dzundza, Patti Lupone
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Drama - Director: Kevin Smith - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Biggs, Matt Damon
well you have convienced me....so l will be watching it in the near future..very well written op...l think it might be more popular in the states as they love their baseball
Lurid thrillers don't get much more shameless than this movie, in which Robert De Niro ... more
plays a pathological baseball fan whose obsession is focused on a San Francisco Giants all-star outfielder (Wesley Snipes). While the newly signed baseball star is h...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Lurid thrillers don't get much more shameless than this movie, in which Robert De Niro ... more
plays a pathological baseball fan whose obsession is focused on a San Francisco Giants all-star outfielder (Wesley Snipes). While the newly signed baseball star is h...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Gil Renard (Robert De Niro) is a big baseball fan. Separated from his wife and son, and ... more
down on his luck, Renard's love of baseball becomes an obsession and he stalks his favourite baseball celebrity, Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes).When Rayburn falls in...
![The Fan [DVD] [1996]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78530975.jpg "The Fan [DVD] [1996]")
May 4th, 2001
(May 5th, 2001)
very helpful by (100%):
