Instinct (1999)

Director:

Jon Turteltaub

Writers (WGA):

Gerald Di Pego (screenplay)
Gerald Di Pego (screen story)

Release Date:

4 June 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

One man's mind is another man's mystery.

Plot:

When a noted anthropologist who left society to live in the jungle is imprisoned for murder, it's up to young psychiatrist to get through to him.

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Murder | Africa | Ape | Gorilla

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Anthony Hopkins	...	Ethan Powell
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Theo Caulder
Donald Sutherland	...	Ben Hillard
Maura Tierney	...	Lynn Powell
George Dzundza	...	Dr. John Murray
John Ashton	...	Guard Dacks
John Aylward	...	Warden Keefer
Thomas Q. Morris	...	Pete
Doug Spinuzza	...	Nicko
Paul Bates	...	Bluto
Rex Linn	...	Guard Alan
Rod McLachlan	...	Guard Anderson
Kurt Smildsin	...	Guard #1
Jim R. Coleman	...	Guard #2
Tracey Ellis	...	Annie

Also Known As:

Ishmael (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some intense violent behavior.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #36450) | Brazil:18 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda

Company:

Spyglass Entertainment

Trivia:

After takes with Cuba Gooding Jr., Anthony Hopkins would routinely say "Show me the money!" in reference to Cuba's character in Jerry Maguire (1996).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Theo goes to visit Lynn at her home it is late at night, yet once inside the house, daylight is coming through the windows.

Quotes:

Theo Calder: I'm Dr. Caulder. You've been charged with one count of murder, and found incompetent to stand trial.
Pete: She had a demon in her for a while, my neighbour Mrs Karsh.
Theo Calder: Mm-hmm.
Pete: It would come and go. Nobody saw it... except me.
Theo Calder: What did it look like, the demon?
Pete: Um... Did you ever see Alien with Sigourney Weaver?
Theo Calder: It looked like a giant insect?
Pete: No. It looked like Sigourney Weaver.

Movie Connections:

References Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988)

A slap in the face of today's consumeristic society

Dear reader,

this movie is fully packed with meaning. The title gives out very little about the true nature of this remarkable work of Jon Turteltaub. Apart from the excellent acting of both the main characters (Hopkins and Cuba Gooding) and the secondary roles, the movie is based on a script of rare quality.

This movie is certainly not going to be appreciated by everyone, certainly not by those unable to honestly look into the modern society and the workings of it, and their role in that society. This movie asks for soul-searching, and unless you are ready for it, unless you are ready to "give up control", you most probably won't like it.

I did like it, thanks also to the fact that I already have meditated on the issues the film raises, earlier in my life. This film is capable of polarizing, because it contains a lot of unpleasant truth, that humanity should accept in order to really advance. This is an important movie, a very strong statement on today's society's relationshipt to nature and it's inhabitants. In the same time, it's analyzing the question of imprisonment and the treatment of inmates. It also raises questions about friendship and loyalty in a way never seen before.

If you have not seen the movie and wonder whether you should, I will give you a hint without spoiling anything: if you didn't like Princess Mononoke, you will not like this movie, either.