The Fan

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The Fan

R

1996

1h 57m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

38%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

35%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A troubled salesman who peddles knives, Gil Renard (Robert De Niro) has a volatile personality, which has resulted in divorce and a strained relationship with his young son. The one thing that Renard cares passionately about is baseball, particularly the San Francisco Giants and the team's newest recruit, Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes). As Renard's personal life continues to crumble, he begins obsessively tracking Rayburn, leading to kidnapping and even murder.

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Critics Consensus

Tony Scott's visceral flash proves to be an ill fit for The Fan, a queasy tale of obsession that succeeds at making audiences uncomfortable, but strikes out when it comes to delivering the thrills.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

02/27/2018

What's disingenuous about Scott's movie is that it pretends to have something to say about an all-too-familiar syndrome.

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Quentin Curtis

Daily Telegraph (UK)

11/22/2017

Scott, as ever, drowns the still, sad music of humanity in an oratorio of style. The screeching soundtrack never relents and the heavily top-lit images, sometimes using garish tints and slow motion, flash at us with all the feeling of a rock video.

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USA Today

01/01/2000

2/4

An awful but watchable baseball movie until it degenerates into an all-out howler.

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Ed Travis

Cinapse

05/02/2020

Tony Scott's energetic direction is the outstanding element of The Fan. The guy just makes this otherwise standard fare really pop.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

11/04/2016

2/4

...a lesser entry within Scott's exceedingly erratic filmography.

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

07/27/2013

4/10

A roughly-assembled, mean movie: flashes of solid genre filmmaking keep it from being a wash, but it's really not much fun at all.

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Farah R

@Farah Jul 17

The movie plays it too safe, leaving Robert De Niro’s character all bark and no bite. All he does is annoy Wesley Snipes until things get way outta hand in the most illogical way. The ending doesn’t make any sense either, so what’s the point in watching?

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Julie G

@Jue207 Jul 6

I enjoyed robert de niros and wesley snipes performance but the story could have been so much better and darker it was slow,long winded and got boring.Not the actors fault.

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James A

@ablett001 Jul 5

Whilst at times it pushes the level to non-believable The Fan’s two main characters are portrayed perfectly by outstanding performances from Snipes and De Niro. Supported by a great score, tense moments and well executed cinematography it reminds us of a time when performances relied on gritty acting staying true to its form. Great watch.

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Carlos I

@carlosFibarra Jun 11

The Fan is a fun, stylish thriller that delivers solid entertainment despite following a lot of familiar territory. While the narrative walks down a well-worn path of psychological obsession, director Tony Scott infuses the film with his signature visual flair and kinetic energy. The tension builds steadily, but the crescendo isn't quite as thrilling as it needs to be to make a truly lasting impact.

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Stoner J.

@Stoner Jun 9

An underrated thriller since inception. DeNero delivers a chilling performance and Snipes, a super watchable victim throughout. Underrated thrillers since 96.

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Ben W

@Username618 May 27

In the Line of Fire, better.

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Tony Scott

Director

Robert De Niro

Gil Renard

Wesley Snipes

Bobby Rayburn

Ellen Barkin

Jewel Stern

John Leguizamo

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Benicio del Toro

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Synopsis

A troubled salesman who peddles knives, Gil Renard (Robert De Niro) has a volatile personality, which has resulted in divorce and a strained relationship with his young son. The one thing that Renard cares passionately about is baseball, particularly the San Francisco Giants and the team's newest recruit, Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes). As Renard's personal life continues to crumble, he begins obsessively tracking Rayburn, leading to kidnapping and even murder.

Director: Tony Scott
Producer: Wendy Finerman
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment, Scott Free Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.1M
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: Surround

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