The Fan | Rotten Tomatoes

The Fan

R

1996

1h 57m

Mystery & Thriller

List

37%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

34%

Audience Score

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

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

Feb 27, 2018

Full Review

Quentin Curtis

Daily Telegraph (UK)

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.

Nov 22, 2017

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 2/4

Apr 12, 2002

Full Review

Ed Travis

Cinapse

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

May 2, 2020

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

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

Rated: 2/4

Nov 4, 2016

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

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.

Rated: 4/10

Jul 27, 2013

Full Review

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Steve D

It just keeps getting more ridiculous.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/18/23

Full Review

Meinhard P

small storyline, good actor (de Niro)

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Surely for die-hard fan...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Michele P

No clue how this film has such a low critic and audience score. It's great!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/16/22

Full Review

Audience Member

90er Jahre Thriller. Klasse inszeniert. Robert de Niro spielt einfach nur Klasse. Einen halben Punkt Abzug gibt es für die Musik. 😉

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Extremely underrated. An excellent psychological thriller from beginning(ish) to end. As usual, DeNiro plays an outstanding psychopath.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Tony Scott

Director

Robert De Niro

Gil Renard

Wesley Snipes

Bobby Rayburn

Ellen Barkin

Jewel Stern

John Leguizamo

Manny

Benicio del Toro

Juan Primo

Show Less Cast & Crew

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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
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment, Scott Free Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
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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