De Niro Is The Man

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2015)

Knife salesman Gil Renard is a die-hard baseball fan and is looking forward to Opening Day more than normal as his team, the San Fransisco Giants, have acquired Bobby Rayburn - a 3-time MVP - from the Atlanta Braves. However, not long into the season, Rayburn's form goes downhill fast, and he starts to fall out with his teammates, especially the on-form Juan Primo. Gil decides to try and "help" Rayburn any way he can even if it means taking things a bit too far, but when he's not given the credit he thinks he deserves after Rayburn starts hitting again, Gil takes matters into his own hands after a "chance" meeting with Rayburn.
Whether you like psychological thrillers, are a fan of De Niro or Snipes, or all of the above, The Fan is definitely a must-see kind of movie. The story's not intricate nor deeply complex, but it doesn't need to be when it's told & delivered as good as this.
The film's cast is excellent...De Niro, Snipes, Leguizamo, Del Toro all do a fantastic job, but the master is definitely De Niro and he's at his psychotic best once again. The way he portrays Gil going on a steady downward spiral deeper into insanity is fantastic and scarily realistic. Snipes also does a good job of playing cocky Rayburn, which isn't too far off how a lot of players see themselves.
The Nine Inch Nails soundtrack of "Closer" is used to great effect and really adds to atmosphere of Gil's descent into madness. I've seen people moaning about the lack of "realism" regarding the game of baseball in this movie also. How many action movies have we seen where the "hero" gets shot at 1000s of times but doesn't get hit once? Or all those James Bond moments when he's in trouble? People still enjoy them though. Yes, some of it's not realistic e.g. playing the game in a torrential downpour, but if you want "realism" regarding baseball then go and watch a documentary about the game. This is a film for entertainment...not education, so just enjoy it for what it is.