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Title: Instinct (1999)
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| 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 | |
Nearly two years after having gone amiss in Africa, renowned anthropologist Dr. Ethan Powell (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is caught committing a crime and subsequently imprisoned in a Florida mental institution, where aspiring psychiatrist Dr. Theo Caulder (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) takes over his important case. Dr. Powell, who has been with a group of gorillas during all that time, is not talking at all, and seems to be living in a dreamworld. Very slowly, Dr. Caulder manages to reach Ethan and starts finding out why he killed two of the poachers. Yet, Theo's case is not just about why the murders have happened, but also about how Dr. Powell became the being he is in the first place. With Ethan's silence broken, Theo is introduced into a world beyond common human comprehension: The true nature of being. He learns that mankind's control of everything is a mere illusion and that the true values of existence can't be found so easily. Ethan changes Theo's view of things forever. Written by Julian Reischl <julianreischl@mac.com>
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On any level, this film has to be considered one of the most incisive and painful commentaries on the human condition. Above the acting (superior performances), above the direction, above all the production values is the constant message that we as a race are marching toward an open grave pit. For all our possessions, for all our wealth, for all our so-called achievements, we have yet to learn to respect the intelligence of nature and to act accordingly. "Instinct" is in every living organism and to deny one's own instinct is to go against the natural order. The prison system in this country doesn't work because it is used to destroy man's spirit instead of supporting it. Until we learn how to live in harmony and love with all the other living organisms, we will continue to destroy what we seek to build. Don't buy those Christmas presents - support your wildlife fund. We don't need things, we need spiritual reconnection with the earth we live on. Dr. Powell, as played by Anthony Hopkins, is one of the most highly evolved beings ever seen in a movie. To the writer I am grateful for his creation, to Mr. Hopkins I am grateful for giving us a character to emulate. This movie has made a lasting impression on me. I hope it does the same for everyone who sees it. Open your heart because if you don't, then you will create your own inner prison and live a messy life that the rest of us will have to clean up.