A brave plunge into obsession.

Rating: Null/10 (22 September 2017)

The Fan is an excellent thriller directed by British director Tony Scott (True Romance, Top Gun) and stars Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes. It is an intense and disturbing plunge into the darkness of obsession. Its rated average on this site is far too low to be believed (5.8 at time of writing). I contend that the unhealthy subject matter of obsession cut too close to the bone for many viewers, hindering a more favorable and fairer rating. Perhaps this film held a mirror too close to their own faces. I don't know what they were expecting. Obsession is a common theme in thrillers and for those that can stomach it, please note that it is used in an uncommonly brilliant way here.
Robert de Niro is superb as Gil Renard. Gil's life is on a slow downward spiral. His sales job is under threat and an atrocious relationship with his ex wife threatens to derail his tenuous connection with his wide eyed innocent son. Think of a more intense darker quieter Willy Loman. Gil's desperation for professional and personal success mirrors the fortunes of his beloved but ailing San Francisco Giants who haven't won a pennant in years. This might change though when the club announces a brand new marquee singing in Bobby Rayburn (Snipes) and so Gil starts to invest all his hopes in the success of this elite baseballer.
Gil feels a strong connection to him as he himself played baseball. In Gil's mind, he was a great "has been", but in reality he is a "never was" and never played beyond little league. He should be internally fixing his life, but instead he externalizes all of his hopes, failure and sadness into an unhealthy obsession for Rayburn.
Gil dips into fantasy whenever he faces external disappointment and finds solace in repeating mantras his childhood hero, little league coach Coop (Charles Hallahan) instilled in him years ago. Gil considers Coop the finest proponent of the art of baseball. When we see Coop later we realize this might be pure fabrication. As Gil's ability to judge reality deteriorates his obsession hurtles toward a dark dangerous and suicidal path; an older angrier "Taxi Driver" driven beyond the point of no return.
Bobby Rayburn in contrast sees life picture perfect. He knows he isn't Gods gift to the sport and admits it when he gets lucky on the diamond. But to someone like Gil, seeing Rayburn hitting a home run to win a game, its as magnificent as anything anyone has ever done in baseball. It happened because Rayburn is God's gift to the Giants. The schism between them, the golden ones that light up the scoreboards and simple folk like Gil, is apparent to everyone but Gil, whose continual lapse into childhood baseball fantasy is both realistic, understandable and tragic. Rarely has this spiritual divide been better examined in any sports related films.
This might explain the low rating this film has on this site. Film viewers want to live the Rayburn fantasy and not the loser reality however brilliantly observed in Gil. I gave it an 8 out 10.