Fear

1996 Mystery & Suspense

Mark Wahlberg stars in one of his first features as a hoodlum drug dealer from the wrong side of the trackswho falls in love with Nicole Walker, an upper-middle-class high school girl (Reese Witherspoon). In this psycho-drama (with the emphasis on psycho), Nicole happily loses her virginity to her first love, but, when she begins to doubt the relationship, his tenderness turns to violence, as he stalks and terrorizes her and her friends and family. The girl's father never trusted him in the first place, but his reservations about his daughter's first serious boyfriend are interpreted as Oedipal paranoia, until the boy and his drug-dealing, date-raping buddies besiege the overly fortified house in a twisted attempt to win back Nicole's love. The Seattle setting juxtaposes a grunge rock underworld with an over-privileged suburban household, and includes a very sexual ride on a roller-coaster. And yes, former underwear model Wahlberg appears shirtless several times. more..

Director: James Foley

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen, Amy Brenneman, Alyssa Milano

Reviews

  • Testosterone-driven entertainment with a moral, sleekly directed by James Foley.

    - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

  • It's a maddening, satisfying, junky, enjoyable picture.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • Fear is pretty much a cheap-thrills fix; the ideas, such as they are, function as window dressing. Still, cheap though these thrills may be, they are genuinely thrilling.

    Hal Hinson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • Fear, thanks mostly to Foley's stylish direction and a couple of strong performances, is a much better movie than "Whispers," but those familiar with the formula will get no major surprises.

    Jack Mathews - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • A nasty little thriller that starts out on a somewhat higher plane but eventually trades in its level head for conventional scare tactics and violence.

    Stephen Holden - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Movie Song

    MTV Movie Awards (1997)