Instinct (1999 film)

Last updated
Instinct
Instinct poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Screenplay by Gerald Di Pego
Story byGerald Di Pego
Based on Ishmael
by Daniel Quinn
Produced by Michael Taylor
Barbara Boyle
Starring
Cinematography Philippe Rousselot
Edited by Richard Francis-Bruce
Music by Danny Elfman
Production
companies
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (United States/Canada)
Spyglass Entertainment (International)
Release date
  • June 4, 1999 (1999-06-04)
Running time
124 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million
Box office$34.1 million

Instinct is a 1999 American psychological thriller film, directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr., George Dzundza, Donald Sutherland, and Maura Tierney. It was very loosely inspired by Ishmael , a novel by Daniel Quinn. [1] In the United States, the film had the working title Ishmael. In 2000, the film was nominated for and won a Genesis Award in the category of feature film. This was the first film produced by Spyglass Entertainment.

Contents

Plot

The film examines the mind of anthropologist Ethan Powell who had been missing for a few years, living in the jungle of Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with mountain gorillas. He is convicted of killing and injuring several supposed Wilderness Park Rangers in East Africa, and is sent to prison. A bright young psychiatrist, Theo Caulder, tries to find out why he killed them, but becomes entangled in a quest to learn the true history and nature of humankind, stating that civilization has steadily destroyed the natural world, advocating that humans abandon this. Eventually it is revealed that during the course of Powell's stay with the gorillas, they accepted him as part of their group; he was attempting to protect his great ape family when the poachers arrived and started shooting them. He gets a hearing to reveal the truth, but an attack by a vicious guard on another prisoner causes Powell to be reminded of the killed gorillas, at which point he violently attacks the guard to stop him, is restrained and stops talking again. At the end of the film, Powell escapes from prison using a pen to dig out the lock on a window, and heads back to Africa.

Cast

Production

Wolfgang Petersen was initially looking to direct the film but became executive producer with his partner Gail Katz. [2]

Principal photography began on January 25, 1998 and ended on August 7.

Buena Vista Pictures handled North American distribution, while Spyglass Entertainment handled international sales. Buena Vista International handled distribution rights in the United Kingdom, Australia and Latin America. [3]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a critic score of 26% based on reviews from 65 critics. The site's consensus states: "A convoluted and predictable plot overshadows the performances." [4] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [5]

James Berardinelli gave the film 2.5 out 4 describing the film as having "Solid directing and good acting!" [6]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4. [7]

Box office

The film underperformed at the box-office, grossing only $34,105,207 in the United States and Canada. [8] The film won a Genesis Award for its themes of animal rights. [9] On the day of the premiere for this film in Orlando, FL, Cuba Gooding, Jr. added his handprints to a star outside of the Chinese Theater at MGM Studios, a park at Walt Disney World. This walk of fame is a replica of the famous Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California.

Soundtrack

Instinct
Film score by
Released1999
Danny Elfman chronology
Men in Black
(1997)
Instinct
(1999)
Sleepy Hollow
(1999)
  1. "Main Title"
  2. "Into the Wild"
  3. "Back to the Forest"
  4. "Everybody Goes"
  5. "The Killing"
  6. "The Riot"
  7. "Escape"
  8. "End Credits"

Related Research Articles

<i>Entrapment</i> (film) 1999 film by Jon Amiel

Entrapment is a 1999 caper film directed by Jon Amiel and written by Ronald Bass. It stars Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones and includes Will Patton, Ving Rhames and Maury Chaykin. The film focuses on the relationship between an investigator and a professional thief as they attempt a heist at the turn of the New Millennium. Simon West and Antoine Fuqua were both in talks to direct before Amiel was hired. The score was composed by Christopher Young and British singer Seal performs "Lost My Faith" over the end credits. The film was released theatrically in the US on 30 April 1999 and in the UK on 2 July.

<i>Seabiscuit</i> (film) 2003 American film

Seabiscuit is a 2003 American sports film co-produced, written and directed by Gary Ross and based on the best-selling 1999 non-fiction book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The film is loosely based on the life and racing career of Seabiscuit, an undersized and overlooked Thoroughbred race horse, whose unexpected successes made him a hugely popular media sensation in the United States during the Great Depression. At the 76th Academy Awards, Seabiscuit received seven nominations, including Best Picture, but ultimately lost all seven, including six to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McTiernan</span> American filmmaker

John Campbell McTiernan Jr. is an American retired filmmaker. He is best known for his action films, including Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), and The Hunt for Red October (1990). His later well-known films include the action-comedy-fantasy film Last Action Hero (1993), the action film sequel Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), the heist-film remake The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), and The 13th Warrior (1999). His last completed feature film was the mystery-thriller Basic, released in 2003.

<i>Dracula: Dead and Loving It</i> 1995 film by Mel Brooks

Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Leslie Nielsen. It is a spoof of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and of some of the story's well-known adaptations. Brooks co-authored the screenplay with Steve Haberman and Rudy De Luca. He also appears as Dr. Van Helsing. The film's other stars include Steven Weber, Amy Yasbeck, Peter MacNicol, Harvey Korman, and Anne Bancroft.

<i>The Good Girl</i> 2002 American black comedy-drama film

The Good Girl is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Miguel Arteta from a script by Mike White. The film stars Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly.

<i>That Darn Cat</i> (1997 film) 1997 American film by Bob Spiers

That Darn Cat is a 1997 American mystery comedy film directed by Bob Spiers, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and starring Christina Ricci and Doug E. Doug. It is a remake of the 1965 film That Darn Cat!, which in turn was based on the 1963 book Undercover Cat by Gordon and Mildred Gordon.

<i>The Minus Man</i> 1999 American film

The Minus Man is a 1999 thriller film starring Owen Wilson and Janeane Garofalo. It is based on the novel by Lew McCreary, and directed by Hampton Fancher, who also wrote the screenplay. The film centers on a serial killer whom Fancher describes as "a cross between Psycho's Norman Bates, Melville's Billy Budd and Being There's Chauncey Gardner".

<i>Space Cowboys</i> 2000 film by Clint Eastwood

Space Cowboys is a 2000 American adventure drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. It stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as four aging former test pilots who are sent into space to repair an old Soviet satellite. It was theatrically released on August 15, 2000, received positive reviews from critics, and was a box-office success.

<i>Welcome to Mooseport</i> 2004 film

Welcome to Mooseport is a 2004 American political satire comedy film directed by Donald Petrie, and starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman in his final film role before his retirement. It was filmed in Jackson's Point, Ontario and Port Perry, Ontario.

James Berardinelli is an American film critic and former engineer. His reviews are mainly published on his blog ReelViews. Approved as a critic by the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, he has published two collections of reviews of movies on DVD and video. He is also a fantasy novelist, publishing a trilogy from 2015 through 2016 known as The Last Whisper of the Gods.

<i>Loser</i> (film) 2000 film by Amy Heckerling

Loser is a 2000 American teen romantic comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. Starring Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari and Greg Kinnear, it is about a fish-out-of-water college student (Biggs) who falls for a classmate (Suvari), unaware she is in a relationship with their English teacher (Kinnear). The film, Heckerling's first after 1995's Clueless and inspired by the 1960 film The Apartment, was a box-office failure and received negative reviews.

<i>Last Dance</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

Last Dance is a 1996 crime drama thriller film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid and Peter Gallagher.

<i>Undertow</i> (2004 film) 2004 American psychological thriller film

Undertow is a 2004 American psychological thriller film co-written and directed by David Gordon Green and starring Jamie Bell, Devon Alan, Dermot Mulroney and Josh Lucas. Taking place in Georgia, the film tells the story of two boys pursued by a murderous uncle.

<i>Excess Baggage</i> (1997 film) 1997 American film

Excess Baggage is a 1997 American crime comedy film, written by Max D. Adams, Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais, and directed by Marco Brambilla about a neglected young heiress who stages her own kidnapping to get her father's attention, only to be actually kidnapped by a car thief. The film stars Alicia Silverstone, Benicio del Toro, and Christopher Walken. Upon release, it was a critical and commercial failure.

<i>The Good Thief</i> (film) 2002 film by Neil Jordan

The Good Thief is a 2002 crime thriller film written and directed by Neil Jordan. It is a remake of the French film Bob le flambeur (1955) by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film, shot in both Monaco and Nice, France, follows a heroin-addicted retired thief through the setup and completion of one last job.

<i>The Promotion</i> 2008 American film

The Promotion is a 2008 American comedy film written and directed by Steven Conrad. The film stars Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Lili Taylor, Fred Armisen, and Gil Bellows. A look at the quest for the American Dream, it focuses on two grocery store managers vying for a promotion.

<i>Flirt</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Hal Hartley

Flirt is a 1995 drama film written and directed by Hal Hartley and produced by Good Machine.

<i>Surrender Dorothy</i> (film) 1998 American film

Surrender Dorothy is an independent film by director Kevin DiNovis which won first place at the 1998 Slamdance Film Festival. The film stars Peter Pryor and Kevin DiNovis. The film is shot in black and white. It is also notable for featuring the first film role for Elizabeth Banks, who appears in the credits as "Elizabeth Casey."

<i>Normal Life</i> 1996 American film

Normal Life is a 1996 American crime drama film based on the real lives of husband-and-wife bank robbers, Jeffrey and Jill Erickson. The film stars Ashley Judd and Luke Perry and was directed by John McNaughton. The original screenplay was written by husband-and-wife team Peg Haller and Bob Schneider.

<i>Kiss or Kill</i> (1997 film) 1997 Australian film

Kiss or Kill is a 1997 Australian thriller film about two lovers and fugitives from the law who are pursued across the Australian Outback. The film was written and directed by Bill Bennett, and stars Frances O'Connor and Matt Day.

References

  1. O'Hehir, Andrew (June 5, 1999). "Instinct review". Salon.com . Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  2. Busch, Anita M.; Brodie, John (November 8, 1996). "Call 'Ishmael' Turtletaub's". Daily Variety . p. 1.
  3. Cox, Chris Petrikin; Petrikin, Chris; Cox, Dan (December 4, 1998). "Distribution savvy". Variety. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  4. "Instinct". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  5. "Instinct reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  6. Berardinelli, James. "Reelviews Movie Reviews". Reelviews Movie Reviews.
  7. Ebert, Roger (1999). "Instinct movie review & film summary (1999)". RogerEbert.com/.
  8. "Instinct (1999)". Box Office Mojo . Internet Movie Database . Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  9. "Genesis Awards 2000". IMDb .