Product: Fear (LASER DSIC, NOT DVD) (1996)
Rating: 2.0
Cliche-Ridden "Psychodrama"
"Fear" is beautifully photographed in the Pacific Northwest and the dark clouds and foggy forests make the perfect background for an otherwise middling film. Sweet, dim-witted Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) meets hunky David (Mark Wahlberg)and falls for his perfect pecs and filtered toughness, much to the dismay of her Father (a pre-CSI and surprisingly buffed William Petersen). Daddy dislikes David instantly but Nicole's stepmom (Amy Brenneman) and best friend Margo (Alyssa Milano) try to convince Steve(Petersen) that he's got it all wrong. Poor dumb Nicole should have listened to her father. David turns out to be menace, complete with a nasty "entourage," and his list of victims grows to include the Sheriff and the family dog, among others. "Fear" has some suspense but few redeeming qualities. Witherspoon, in her pre-"Legally Blond" period, is vapid and annoying. She played nearly an identical, though smaller, character in "American Psycho" where she was blown off the screen by Christian Bale. Wahlberg is equally unsuccessful here - his evil scowl and vulgar demeanor seem like posing instead of acting. Only Petersen gives a decent performance, but he is hampered by a script full of gratuitous violence, homophobia, and Witherspoon's shrill, synthetic personna.