Snipes Only Adds To De Niro’s Frightening Performance

Looking back, I realize “The Fan” had nearly no meaning and even less substance. But for the two hours I was watching it, that film had me tied around its little finger.

In terms of good-ol’ worthless entertainment value, “The Fan” ranks up there with “Independence Day” as the best of this summer. And what “The Fan” lacks in “ID4”-style special effects, it gains from stellar performances by Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes.

De Niro plays Gil Renard, an unsuccessful knife salesman obsessed with baseball and newly acquired Giants center fielder Bobby Rayburn, played by Wesley Snipes. And, as the teasers say, the obsession turns deadly.

When Rayburn first comes to the Giants, someone else is wearing his lucky number 11, and for that or some other reason, he falls into a deadly slump, causing Giants fans to turn against him. But not Gil.

Convinced that the number is the reason for Rayburn’s hitting woes, Gil takes matters into his own hand, literally, and kills the player who dared wear number 11. Gil then is somehow disappointed for not getting any thanks for his “helpful” action.

While I won’t give away any more of the story, it only gets better. But it does get bloodier. Baseball fans should be warned: “The Fan” has a lot more to do with Roger Corman than Ken Griffey, Jr.

Besides the sometimes mediocre story, this movie benefited greatly from the directing talent of Tony Scott. Scott’s last movie was “Crimson Tide,” and many of the highlights from that movie show up in this one.

As in “Tide,” there are subtle but striking similarities drawn between the hero and the villain, and the conversations between the two keep audiences on the edge of their seats, even without knives.

Also similar to “Tide,” the two male leads are excellent. De Niro steals the show with his non-stop intensity and total believability. He plays the kind of part that will live for weeks in the nightmares of some children.

Snipes isn’t bad, either. He obviously plays second fiddle to De Niro, but makes his second fiddle count. He perfectly blends the vulnerability of his victim with the arrogance of his sports hero persona.

The cinematography in “The Fan” is striking, and makes great use of the talents of both lead actors. Sometimes photography is forgotten in suspense films, but it makes itself known in this one.

If you are the type of moviegoer who “experiences” films, you’ll either love “The Fan” or be terrified by it. Regardless of how you watch the movie, though, you’d be hard-pressed to see this film and not have fun.

Grade: B