Probably the most underrated De Niro film of all time!

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 2002)

This is KING OF COMEDY meets TAXI DRIVER, with a bit of CAPE FEAR, THIS BOY'S LIFE, and BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY thrown in for flavor. I can't imagine why the critics panned this film, because it takes you to unexplored territory, it's filled with rich, complex characters, and the story is gripping and believable from beginning to end. I definitely put THE FAN in the top ten De Niro films, and place it levels above anything else that he's done since the early nineties. If Rupert Pupkin had been obsessed with baseball, rather than Jerry Lewis, and if he'd had Tarvis Bickle's hatred for humanity and Dwight Hanson's anger and hostility, then he would have been Gil Renard. Lot's of surprising twists, and absolutely classic last words from Coup.