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

Nicolas Winding Refn's film company (Jang Go Star) went bankrupt after the box office failure of this film.

---

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 Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow (2005)

User Reviews

Like to watch paint dry? You'll love this...

I've often been extremely critical of PG-13 horror and thriller films. Here's one that adds fuel to that fire, I'm afraid.

The core of this film revolves around John Turturro working as a security guard for a mall. For some reason he sits alone at home watching the security tapes over and over, pauses them occasionally to take pictures of people in them and then he hangs the picture on his wall with a few notes. Presumably, it's because he's hunting for the man who killed his wife. However, he doesn't see a picture of said man or the mystery security tape which shows her murder until after we see him whiling away in front of his television with his digital camera. Eventually, he thinks he's on the right track, and tries to track down old Mr. Wife-Killer.

Here's the breakdown:

The Good:

--The film's set-up is rather slow and weird enough to hold interest—but not for very long.

--The acting is alright—John Turturro is pretty creepy.

Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:

--There's barely any music.

--Slow pace may build tension for some, but is more likely to bore most people viewing the movie.

--Seemingly linear film.

--OK atmosphere.

The Bad:

--The sets constantly reminded me of Kubrick's "The Shining." You know, because they were bland, yet coated heavy with designs from the seventies. Perhaps I thought that way because of the bland hotel that John Turturro stays in which was designed in the early seventies, and never changed—ever.

--We see an image of a face pressed through a red plasticy-sheet occasionally—but it's never explained what the face represents. It's either tension, anger, or fear. Who knows?

--Occasional "nightmare-like" cinematography which also contains no explanation. Sure, it looks pretty good, but what the hell does it mean?

--Bland characters.

The Ugly:

--***POSSIBLE SPOILER*** This film meanders for about 100 minutes without going anywhere, getting to know anyone, or explaining anything. Husband hunts for wife's killer and gets revenge. That should've been a very simple movie—and very linear. But several points are made to a sub-plot that seemed like it would have been pretty important to the story—but it's never explained!!

--A sub-plot about a cop and his fragile relationship with his wife is also never explained—or properly developed--but it is needlessly touched upon.

Memorable Scene:

--There really wasn't anything very memorable about this movie. An hour and a half of yawn.

Acting: 7/10 Story: 4/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Character Development: 4/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 0/10 (Nothing to note) Nudity/Sexuality: 0/10 Violence/Gore: 2/10 (very little violence, only slow tension) Dialogue: 7/10 Music: 6/10 Direction: 5/10

Cheesiness: 0/10 Crappiness: 5/10

Overall: 4/10

This film offers almost nothing for the viewer to enjoy. It's a terribly slow thriller that goes nowhere and explains nothing. Very bland. Certain movies and directors can get away with doing and showing things that they never explain. But this movie can't. Only for people who are bland or people who really like dull, uninteresting films that explain little or nothing.

www.ResidentHazard.com