Fear X Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY| John Turturro | Harry |
| Deborah Kara Unger | Kate |
| Stephen McIntyre | Phil |
| William Allen Young | Agent Lawrence |
| Gene Davis | Ed |
| Mark Houghton | Diner Cop |
| Jacqueline Ramel | Claire |
| James Remar | Peter |
| Nicolas Winding Refn |
5.80 out of 10 (981 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Not impressed by this unimagnitave film
posted on 04 Aug 2009Security guard, Harry Caine (Tutorro) lives a life of lonely obsession after his wife's mysterious shooting at the shopping mall where he works. Unsolved by local Wisconsin police, Harry struggles to piece together information salvaged from surveillance video footage. A dream leads him to discover a photo that begins his search for truth in Montana. Like many psychological thrillers it meanders through themes of schizophrenia and police corruption, but doesn't rise to the excellence of the superior 'Spoorloos' by fellow Danish director, George Sluizer. I soon realised that I had no compassion for Caine or held any emotional attachment to either him or his dead wife. I am certainly not condemning Tutorros' acting; indeed the entire cast did a fine job. The plot just had no substance, no story, no soul. I watched narrative suffer through incoherent changes between dreams, visions and reality. No meaning could be made from feeble attempts at lynchian uniqueness. Kubrick collaborative Larry Smith is Fear X's saviour. Through his creations of unnerving environments we wallow in a visual richness without which would leave the film ineffectual. This utterly pretentious film fails to tell us a story worth listening too. Uncompelled I watched, hopeful that Fear X would recover with a remissive ending. The biggest let down of all being we had to fabricate it ourselves.
This movie is terrible
posted on 13 Jun 2009This movie literally took me 4 days to watch. I continued to fall asleep to the boring drag of a film. After a full nights sleep, and a day off from work, again I tried to watch the movie fully awake and aware.... fell asleep again, woke up and finally finished the darn thing. To be honest with you I wish that I would have slept again. There seems to be divided opinions on this film. Some say he's a schizo some say he killed the corrupt cop and some say the cop got away... my opinion WHO CARES. The movie dragged on, had no point, no direction, poor lighting and some red splotchy images that continued to flash on the screen with no apparent rhyme or reason. As much as I like Turtturo I really feel that he is better suited as a supporting actor and not the lone star. As for the director (someone left a comment stating that he was Danish or something to that affect) if you're going to continue to attempt films like this, I have wonderful news for you... The Burger King here in my hometown is hiring an assistant manager... I just thought you would like something to fall back on.
Fear X = Thriller at it's best!
posted on 12 May 2009After seeing Pusher and Bleeder both outstanding films in there genre, i got my hands on Fear X, i didn't knew it was Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn until i was browsing imdb.So yea! was expecting to see a good film, saw some lame comments about "what is this for movie" and the usual comments with lack of knowing what "good" film is. But the majority seems to feel it was a creeper, and i tell you, IT IS! Fear X is a real silent Thriller like Pusher, outstanding acting with everyone who's in the cast. Excellent creepy music throwout the whole movie, i recommend "high volume - dolby surround" :-)See it!Cheers :)8/10
A David Lynch Wannabe
posted on 19 Feb 2009Sorry, this seems to me like someone who was trying to imitate David Lynch, and couldn't cut the mustard... The mysticism ingredient was there, but it didn't make it to the point of understanding, also the vivid reds were David Lynch like in quality, though not nearly as good. This movie should come with a warning to individuals that have seizures. "Warning this movie could cause seizures in certain scenes". I like John Turturro and James Remar as actors. I wonder how they feel about making this movie. I also wondered what scenes were deleted from this movie to make it to this point. Were the ones lying on the floor in their opinion not needed. If you want to waste you time and money, get this movie.
Tuturro is the only saving grace for this movie
posted on 09 Dec 2008The plot starts out with great potential and fails horribly in the end. Tuturro is the only thing that even made this worth watching. I wouldn't waste your time. I logged on to find out what I'd missed - because I thought it COULDN'T have been as bad as I thought it was, therefore I must've misunderstood it. Wrong. It is simply a waste of time. I rated it a 3 for John's ability to keep us watching. He does do a great job of obtaining empathy from the viewers. There are parts which seem to have tremendous potential, such as the house, but they lead nowhere. The special effects are distracting. There are so many extra threads that lead nowhere and mean nothing that you spend your time wondering what you missed! I simply couldn't believe I'd actually understood the movie. It's surreal in parts that turn out to be irrelevant. Don't waste your time.
Intriguing film, stunning soundtrack, but ultimately slightly disappointing
posted on 07 Dec 2008This film is intriguing all the way through. Plot elements are revealed quite slowly, but towards the end it gets a bit more exciting. However the ending is disappointing. I don't generally mind "make-it-up-yourself" endings, but this really was too abrupt and confusing. Even the director doesn't know what he thinks happens at the end. I know this because I went to the London premiere at Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square, and the director answered questions from the audience at the end. He said the film included three "elements": reality, dreams, and hell. This might help you in interpreting the film.If the soundtrack comes out, I'll buy it. Lots of low frequency sounds (nice), and very eerie / mysterious / intriguing.I still don't know whether I liked this film. It's perhaps worth seeing for novelty value, and one of the sequences at the end is a bit mind-blowing.
Incoherent, and Boring
posted on 29 Aug 2008Fear X intrigued me when I first saw it in the video store. I don't know what it was that caught my eye. It certainly wasn't the incredibly cheesy title. It was probably because John Turturro was in it, but after this film I will probably never see another one of his movies.The film centers around a man who's wife was killed in what seemed like an accident, but visions tell him that it was murder. The problem with this film is that you can't tell what is going on from one scene to the next. Very few of his visions relate to his wife, most of them seem like random trips, and the clues he picks up don't connect.Not to mention that this film is just flat out boring. I don't mind films with slow plot lines, but this movie is the cinematic equivalent to Valium. I found myself falling asleep during this move, and it was the middle of the day. I had also gotten a good nights rest before, and I hadn't been very active that day either.The cast gave good performances, but their talents were wasted on such a horrible, and insignificant film. Avoid it at all costs.
uuuugggghhhhhhhhhhh
posted on 19 Aug 2008Just watched this today and it is quite possibly the stupidest film I have EVER seen. Someone help me I AM LOST. Whats the deal with the prostitute? whats with the Room 305/503 thing? Exactly what happened there at the end? Why was his car out in the middle of nowhere? I am REALLY not trying to be snide, MAYBE this is just "over my head" or something (quite possible)......BUT this made NO SENSE to me, from beginning to end. I am perplexed, actually.ANY insight would be appreciated, but, until then, I am going to have to say this is ONE AWFUL PICTURE....during the first part it made me feel uncomfortable AS GOOD FILMS OFTEN DO, but, after about half of it, the "uncomfortable" feeling left me and was replaced by "confussion"......This is a horrible film.
WORST MOVIE EVER!!!!!! Seriously
posted on 07 Aug 2008This POS took 1 1/2 hours of my life, I cannot get back. The premise was Interesting, but its all downhill from there on. John Turturro is a good actor, but this movie leaves too much too the imagination. Its bad in so many ways, I cannot even decide where to begin. I see people singing praises for the sound track, What soundtrack? seriously there are so too many spots where music could have enhanced and there was none, a few spots where emo added ambient noise did not add to the film. The Director choose to track too much of the back of Turturro's head. Overkill, or perhaps it was a hair fetish. This film would be perfect For Gitmo I think it would force those Prisoners to totally crack.Plot has so many holes in it, one would think It was written on the cheese that the writer/director's country exports.For example according to the 'alleged story' John's characters wife is murdered, and the killer is forced to remove the only witness to his deed.. her. 'Wrong place wrong time' scenario. Now here Is the hole. Get this, It was a hit on a dirty cop that takes place in a mall parking lot, and his pregnant wife get's knocked off after witnessing the murder of the dirty cop. Turturro's Character for whatever reason becomes obsessed with the neighbor's residents and breaks in and finds a photographic negative that leads him to a town that has the killer? someone please tell me the connection??? the movie tosses a lot of useless info like the cops think his wife knew the person, and when he confronts the killer he ask did you know her, He says "no" If you get lost counting to 10 or forget you abc's then this story may have something for you. This movie makes gigil look like Oscar winner.
Don't FEAR not liking this movie.
posted on 05 Aug 2008FEAR X is the type of art-house/ indie fare that is just elusive enough, and slow, to make you think you are watching something more enriching than it is. The slow moving and provocative beginning has you involved enough not to pop out the disc in boredom and maybe even has you sitting up on your couch so you don't actually fall asleep and miss "the point." Don't worry. Your dreams are just as portentious and hold up to better analysis. The entire look and pace of FEAR X plays out like the forgotten love child of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick. The problem is that the cinematic dna of this pairing got only the residue of its style and mood. It's no coincidence it looks Kubrick seeing as that Stanley's longtime gaffer worked on the film. In scene after scene there is stark usage of the color red to foretell of rage and foreboding violence. Curtains, lamps, coats, scarves...you name it. Red, red, red. I got it. Can we move on? The answer is no. The movie plays out in this mind-numbing slowness of pace leaving you to question if you are simply "not getting it." By the end you will not care...you won't "want it." FEAR X is not an awful movie but it can frustrate you with its artistic pretensions in a medium that has the ability to entertain, enrich and educate. FEAR X pretends to do all of these things...and does none. I hate a faker.
Disappointment from a previously promising director
posted on 22 Jul 2008Very disappointing. After the amazing "Pusher" i was expecting great things from Nicholas Winding Refn, but this was a huge letdown. It was just very sad to see a guy who started out with such a strong distinctive cinematic voice churn out something so completely unremarkable. Refn sadly seems to lack any sense of personal style, as this film bares absolutely no stylistic similarity to his debut film. It could have been a completely different filmmaker from what i could tell. Sadder still is that this was Hubert Selby Jr.'s last project before his death. Why waste his talents on this empty piece of film-making? To it's credit, it was fairly well made, but it was all atmosphere and style and absolutely no substance whatsoever. This had potential to be a good psychological puzzle in the David Lynch/"Demonlover" mode, but ultimately failed on almost every level. It somehow managed to be both maddeningly straight-forward and simplistic, and illogical and unfulfilled at the same time. I have absolutely no problem with incoherence, in fact i would have enjoyed this film considerable more had it been more so, but this just plain didn't make sense and left me confused, but at the same time was just far too simple and unchallenging. Or maybe i just didn't get it at all. I don't know, but either way i found it to be a deeply unsatisfying viewing experience.
What's the point?
posted on 12 Jul 2008As I see it, this film, like 'Spoorloos' revolves around the climactic meeting and conversation between a killer and his victim's spouse. But whereas 'Spoorloos' had a clear message (Knowledge may not be worth any sacrifice), everything just sort of peters out in 'Fear X'. Still, cinematically, it's on a par with Tarkovsky (who, I'm sad to say, I consider the most boring director ever).Not a bad film, but certainly not one which will make my top 100.
The best thriller I've seen in a long time. Good acting, good cinematography, good idea!
posted on 30 Jun 2008Unlike other "some-guy-killed-my-wife-and-I-need-revenge-movies" Nicolas Winding Refn doesn't make the mistake of turning this into a semi action movie(Like in the end of Insomnia). He lets Harry Caine(Brilliantly portrayed by John Turturro)proceed gradually forward in slow pace. There is no rush to get to the end and to the killer. Even with the slow pace it never becomes a dull movie because you constantly feel a certain unease. The answer to his his wife's death is lurking somewhere beneath the surface. The answer to his wife's death, however, is the only weak link. Besides from that we are dealing with a movie that is unique. Of course you can point your finger and say that you've some similar scenes in other movies. But you cannot do anything original on film anymore, you can just do it in an original way. All in all a great movie.
Strong Turturro performance
posted on 28 Jun 2008John Turturro (Barton Fink, Quiz Show, and, of course, Monk) can be depended upon to give memorable performances, but this one stands out as one of his best.I am not familiar with the work of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bleeder, Pusher II), but if this is an indication of his work, he should be examined further. This was a noir mystery that appears to bring out love or hate from those who view it. It is confusing and mysterious and leaves some questions unanswered, but Turturro's quest keeps us interested.Also features Deborah Kara Unger (Emile, Payback).
What is real and what is illusion?...
posted on 26 Jan 2008This film takes a few viewings, and you will still be puzzling over the theme. John Turturro is Harry Cain, a mall security guard mourning the death of his wife.The film is very visual (the hotel in Montana was filmed by a renowned Kubrick photographer) Some scenes are ominous, and may remind you of "The Shining". The winter environment, Harry's work as an anonymous security guard, all seem to infer his alienation from reality. Also the house across the street, which he begins to fixate on, believing he saw his wife go into the house. Is he hallucinating, or is this really happening?.The film starts slow, but is suspenseful and atmospheric. If you like psychological drama, you will truly enjoy this film. 9/10
Lame story. Do not bother!
posted on 04 Jan 2008This movie was so lame its as if the director had never seen a psychological thriller in his life. The only saving graces were Turturo's performances and the cinematography which elevated it to my 2 star rating. To me it seemed like it was a rehash of bits and pieces of good films and when put together in this ended up like a bowl of vomit. This story could have been told in 90 seconds not the 90 grueling minutes and 4 attempts it took to watch. Luckily it only went for 90 minutes any longer would have had me throwing my remote control at my TV.Anyway since I have to write 10 lines I may as well use them to talk about the AFL Grand Final this Saturday... I believe it will be a very close game between The Geelong cats and The Port Adelaide Power.... Port beat Geelong when last they met but and also have the advantage of fielding many premiership players, whereas Geelong are new to the Grand Final experience. The cats handled themselves OK against the magpies last week in what was a terrific rehearsal for this game but at times looked slow and just their maturity got them over the line... my heart tells me to go for the Cats to win this but my head indicates otherwise... Im tipping The Power by 11 points.
jacket Harry was wearing
posted on 19 Dec 2007The schizo angle and the finding the truth angle are both excellent possible meanings to this plot. But i tend to lean towards Harry's search for the answer for his wife's death, that he makes up things in his head to explain his wife's murder.I am not sure about the relevance of this, but the jacket Harry was wearing in the last scene where Harry throws away his "suspect" cards as he drives away is the exact same jacket he was wearing during an earlier scene where the cops were interviewing him at the bell hotel. why was he wearing the same police jacket? any thoughts?i think this inconsistency in details just proves that he was making things up in his head, so it's either he's a schizo or making false explanations for his wife's death.
One big endurance
posted on 29 Nov 2007First you gotta sit through a really slow building up story. Some scenes give you a Memento feeling, a bit psychological thriller, a bit horror. When you get to the half of the movie, it starts moving faster, and you get a feeling where all is leading to. But after the "end" you just feel mislead on all charges! A really disappointing and unsatisfying movie, with headache causing flashes, uneasy sounds. Some may describe this as an art-house film, well, perhaps that's why many people avoid those film noirs or movie houses! Sometimes the not-so-easy stories are better than one might expect, and you have to stay focused all along. But in this case, after all nothing really happened in the movie. I really don't understand the relatively high rating (5.7 as I write this).
Nice try, but just not good enough.
posted on 18 Aug 2009***Minor spoilers***I really wanted to like this film. The ambiance and the acting were very good, and the basic premise (was my wife's death a random action?) was very intriguing. But there just wasn't enough to it. I appreciate films that let the viewer fill in the gaps, but these gaps were positively Grand Canyon sized. Each scene was incredibly dragged out and by the end I didn't really care if the events were real or not. I think the director has a great ability to capture a mood or a feeling, but he needs to create more of a story next time. A real missed opportunity.