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

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: Ok Ethan. You asked me a question once, "What has you all tied up in knots when you wake up sweating in the middle of the night?" You still wanna know? I've been thinking about it, been thinking about it a lot. It's not the work, I love the work. I've always loved the work...

Movie Connections:

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

Why isn't this film more well known?

I just watched the network premiere of it on CBS and was blown way by how good it was. However, I'm even more shocked by the fact that I hadn't heard of it. I went to Box Office Mojo and found out that it only made 35 million dollars. I don't understand why this film was poorly received.

The performances from all four lead actors were absolutely great. Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr. had great chemistry with each other and I love to see another movie with them together in lead roles. Maura Tierney consistently proves what a versatile actress she is and I'm convinced that she will become an even better actress. Donald Sutherland was his usual charming self and although is screen time was limited, he made up for it with his wonderful performance.

The story of the movie is about a man, Ethan Powell (Hopkins), who is brought from Africa with charges of murder after living in the rainforest with gorillas for two years and hasn't spoken a word since his capture. Gooding Jr. plays a psychiatrist, Theo Caulder, who is assigned to him, who is determined to reach out to him and figure out what happened to him. Sutherland plays Gooding Jr.'s superior while Tierney plays Hopkins daughter.

There were a lot of nicest touches in this movie such as Powell realizing that the camera, not his presence, bothered the gorillas, and Powell observing that the gorillas in the zoo were different from those in the rainforest. The scene where Powell demonstrates to Caulder that he needs to break down his illusions of freedom and control was really done well. I was impressed by the fact the reason for why Powell cracked was not only because gorilla hunters viciously killed Powell's gorilla family but also because of the items he left in the forest lead the hunters to the gorillas and, therefore, felt responsible.

Overall, I thought this was a terrific movie and that everyone should go see it!