The Fans (1996)

Directed by: Tony Scott | 116 minutes | drama, thriller, sports | Actors: Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin, John Leguizamo, Benicio Del Toro, Patti D’Arbanville, Chris Mulkey, Andrew J. Ferchland, Brandon Hammond, Charles Hallahan, Dan Butler, Kurt Fuller, Michael Jace, Frank Medrano, Don S. Davis, John Kruk, Drew Snyder, Edith Diaz, Walter Addison, Wayne Duvall, Joe Pichler, James MacDonald, Tuesday Knight, Marla Sucharetza, Nikki Lee, Thomas F. Duffy, Don Fischer, Chanté Moore, John Carroll Lynch

Playing a psychopath is something Robert De Niro usually doesn’t care about. His most famous creation is undoubtedly Travis Bickle, the twisted central figure from ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976). But he was also allowed to indulge in films such as ‘The King of Comedy’ (1982), ‘Cape Fear’ (1991) and ‘This Boy’s Life’ (1993). De Niro now has a nice arsenal of psychos in his portfolio. And while most of these characters are unique, they do have a similarity; each and every one of them are three-dimensional characters. Types that are deceptively close, since they could live right down the street from you. The persuasiveness of these figures has to do not only with De Niro’s own abilities, but also with the writers and directors of the above films. Tony Scott’s ‘The Fan’ (1996) proves that things can sometimes go wrong.

In this thriller, De Niro plays knife seller (!) Gil Renard, with whom things have gone downhill lately. His wife has left him, he has no idea how to handle his child and is also on the verge of losing his job. Not surprising when you hear him berate his customers. Gil is also obsessed with the San Francisco Giants baseball club. His favorite player is Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes), a golden boy who came over for $40 million from a competitive squad and from whom much is expected. However, it turns out not to be easy to live up to those expectations and when Rayburn is surpassed by his rival Juan Primo (Benicio Del Toro), it is difficult for Gil to accept. It doesn’t take long before he changes from a fanatic enthusiast to a terrifying stalker who really doesn’t stop at anything. He’s even willing to commit murder if that helps his ‘friend’ Rayburn back in the saddle…

Tony Scott had a successful period in the mid-1990s. After films like ‘True Romance’ (1993) and ‘Crimson Tide’ (1995), expectations for ‘The Fan’ were high. Not entirely unjustified, given the popularity (yes, at that time Snipes was also very popular with many people) of the two protagonists. But ‘The Fan’ actually disappoints quite a bit. The problem actually starts with Phoef Sutton’s script (after a book by Peter Abrahams), which is full of poorly developed characters and lousy dialogue. De Niro may be the insane lunatic, but Wesley Snipes portrays baseball hero Rayburn as an insufferably arrogant bastard. The characters in the main supporting roles (played by Del Toro, John Leguizamo and Ellen Barkin) are equally self-centered and unsympathetic, so you don’t really care what happens to them. Perhaps even worse is that for some characters it is not clear at all what their role in the story is. The most shocking example is Barkin’s sports journalist Jewel Stern, whose contribution to the film is completely unnecessary. The messy editing and barely appropriate soundtrack also detract from the intentions of the makers.

Fortunately, ‘The Fan’ also has its advantages. Despite their dramatically developed characters, the actors often know how to make the best of it. De Niro and Snipes deliver fairly convincing work, although neither gentlemen are the best we’ve seen (certainly not De Niro!). Thanks to their performances, this film is very entertaining, even for those who don’t like baseball. It is all predictable though. The tension is not always taut and at the end the film goes completely overboard, but fortunately it never gets really annoying. Tony Scott knows his trade too well to let it get completely out of hand. You just expect more from a movie with him at the helm and De Niro as the central figure. It’s entertaining in the end, but it could have been a lot more.