Fear X (2003)

When his wife is killed in a seemingly random incident Harry (Turturro), prompted by mysterious visions, journeys to discover the true circumstances surrounding her murder.

Director:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers:

Hubert Selby Jr., Nicolas Winding Refn

Stars:

John Turturro, Deborah Kara Unger, Stephen Eric McIntyre

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Turturro	...	Harry
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Kate
Stephen Eric McIntyre	...	Phil (as Stephen McIntyre)
William Allen Young	...	Agent Lawrence
Gene Davis	...	Ed (as Eugene M. Davis)
Mark Houghton	...	Diner Cop
Jacqueline Ramel	...	Claire
James Remar	...	Lt. Peter Northrup
Nadia Litz	...	Ellen
Amanda Ooms	...	Prostitute
Liv Corfixen	...	Hotel Waitress
Frank Adamson	...	Adamson
Spencer Duncanson	...	Man
Dan K. Toth	...	Hotel Clerk
Jeffrey R. Lawrence	...	Sergeant Frank

Storyline

When his wife is killed in a seemingly random incident Harry (Turturro), prompted by mysterious visions, journeys to discover the true circumstances surrounding her murder.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder | cctv | wife killed | canada | security guard | 

---

Taglines:

The Past Can Never Be Rewound

---

Genres:

Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material

Details

Country:

Denmark Canada UK Brazil

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 2003 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Fear X - O Medo

Filming Locations:

Polo Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$6,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Det Danske Filminstitut, Fear X Ltd., Moviehouse Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Oldman, Ray Liotta, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Sizemore were all considered for the lead role.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Harry: Unit 14 here. I got a white, middle-aged male, he just took a cardigan and slipped it into his bag. Area A-91, over.
Control Room Guard: Copy. Got the suspect on camera. Over.
Harry: Stay on him, here I go...

---

Crazy Credits

The closing credits appear on footage from CCTV security tapes.

---

Connections

Featured in Tusind former for frygt (2003)

User Reviews

Interesting, low key and offbeat little thriller

Fear X proceeds on two levels that are of interest to me. The troubled Harry Caine searches for the killer of his wife but more importantly the reason for her death, the basic thrust of the film therefore is the penetration of a mystery. But at its core it's a film about obsession, about a man meticulously constructing meaning where there may be none, with methodology that may work on strict rationale but to the outside observer comes across as less than sane. I enjoy puzzles and obsessive minds, especially those that approach a task with rigour, so parts of Fear X were fascinating to me, Harry watching security tapes from the mall in which he works security (his wife was killed in the car park), Harry taking photograph screen captures from said tapes and using them for his wall of information (a wall that we never get too much of a look at) bits and pieces like this. The splashes of light upon the mystery are of interest as well, they come as odd and unheralded jolts rather than as part of a traditional unveiling, there's a sense of arbitrariness and lack of control that works rather well. As far as plotting goes this goes left-field even of the realms of gialli where whodunnit set ups were at times almost an irrelevance. Of course, none of this would work without a quality actor to anchor things and the film has John Tuturro as Harry, giving a fine performance. He grips with low key intensity, his face a rarely troubled mask that nonetheless seems to hide deep feeling, a terrific creepily convincing turn. Solid support comes from Stephen McIntyre, a quietly emotive Deborah Kara Unger and particularly noble but conflicted James Remar, buts its Tuturro's show all the way. It could almost be excellent as well, nicely winding its intrigue for just about the entire first two thirds before things start to go wrong. Essentially, everything ends up rather pat, I've read plenty of reviews claiming the end doesn't explain things well enough but really the problem is that the ending is partly too conventional and partly just not that well handled. I won't spoil details, but I craved something a bit more outlandish or oblique in the explanation department and the film switches from lightly sprinkled hallucinatory sequences that work well to a climatic colourful freak out that doesn't. This said, the ending still has nearly as much to appreciate as the rest of the film owing to the performances and particularly cinematography. Moody lighting and hot claustrophobia make for much tension, even if plot-wise things are slipping away. Still, overall I rather enjoyed this one and I suspect it will lend itself nicely to rewatches. Not so good if you don't enjoy using your imagination and require everything spelled out, but worth a watch for fans of the offbeat and low key.