Instinct (1999)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Jon Turteltaub

Writers (WGA):

Gerald Di Pego (screenplay)
Gerald Di Pego (screen story)

Release Date:

4 June 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

One man's mind is another man's mystery.

Plot:

When a noted anthropologist who left society to live in the jungle is imprisoned for murder, it's up to young psychiatrist to get through to him.

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Murder | Africa | Ape | Gorilla

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Ethan Powell
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Theo Caulder
Donald Sutherland	...	Ben Hillard
Maura Tierney	...	Lynn Powell
George Dzundza	...	Dr. John Murray
John Ashton	...	Guard Dacks
John Aylward	...	Warden Keefer
Thomas Q. Morris	...	Pete
Doug Spinuzza	...	Nicko
Paul Bates	...	Bluto
Rex Linn	...	Guard Alan
Rod McLachlan	...	Guard Anderson
Kurt Smildsin	...	Guard #1
Jim R. Coleman	...	Guard #2
Tracey Ellis	...	Annie

Also Known As:

Ishmael (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some intense violent behavior.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #36450) | Brazil:18 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda

Company:

Spyglass Entertainment

Trivia:

Missy Lantz was so disturbed by the on-set intensity of the film that she asked to be removed from the production.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Theo goes to visit Lynn at her home it is late at night, yet once inside the house, daylight is coming through the windows.

Quotes:

Ethan Powell: [Farewell letter to Dr. Caulder] Dear Theo, I'm sorry I'm not there to say good-bye. You were right. Freedom is not just a dream. It's there on the other side of those fences we build all by ourselves. Thank you forgiving me hope and for giving me back my daughter. And I thank you, Theo, for sharing this journey with me. Your friend, Ethan.

Movie Connections:

References Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988)

Not an Illusion, but a Deep Psychological Thriller

Ethan Powell (Anthony Hopkins) A brilliant anthropologist, committed to an asylum for the criminally insane after committing murder.

Theo Caulder (Cuba Gooding Jr.) a brilliant young psychologist, volunteers to examine Ethan to try and understand what exactly went on.

Theo's driven ambition pushes him into the psyche of a madman where he risks his own life to peel away the layers and unveil the man behind the madness.

A perfect cast and terrific story make this a very tense and thrilling ride through the mind of a madman, who may just hold the secret to remove the illusions we all have.

8/10 If you bore easily then leave well alone.