What Cost Bravery

I am very much pleased and entertained by Jon Turteltaub's film "Instinct" (1999). This is a production that both stirs our primal senses and challenges our so-called civilized perception of reality.

The movie stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as Ethan Powell, a former professor of Anthropology from the university of Miami. Ethan is lost for nearly two years in the beauty of awesome Africa. His simple but important work is with gorillas. At the end of his sojourn, his is arrested and confined for killing two rangers and injuring three others in the jungle. He is judged mad and becomes mute.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays Dr. Theo Caulder, a resident psychiatrist from the same university, who is assigned by his professor (Donald Sutherland) to evaluate the deranged Ethan in prison. Theo is convinced he can get the “mute murderer” to talk.

Ethan is rather ready at any time to become quite violent. It takes someone with the tenacity and character of Theo Caulder to brave the risky task of trying to communicate with this civilized man gone ape.

I have heard or read some complaints about this film, but I have little to give. I give mostly praise for this inspired screenplay by Gerald Di Pego (who found the inspiration for his strong script from Daniel Quinn’s novel “Ishmael”). The directing from Turteltaub is about as good as there can be. Of course, the acting by Hopkins was flawless and Gooding gave a fine performance. Though I would not be so rude to say Gooding was miscast, yet I cannot help but think that actors of the caliber of Gary Oldman or Lawrence Fishburne might have complemented Hopkin’s simple but brilliant performance better.

Despite their fine acting, all other actors in the film seem rather minor to Hopkins and Gooding. Yet, for this movie lover, the real star of the show is the theme. The essence of the story is the price and glory a soul receives when he selflessly tries to protect the weak from the strong who abuse their power.

This is not a movie to miss, but be prepared to have all your notions of reality challenged.