Robert J. Maxwell For most of its length, "Fear" is a teen movie. Nice sixteen-year-old blond girl from bourgeois family (Witherspoon) is doing well enough except for a bit of irritation because her father (Peterson) objects to her school dress one morning. And it has to be admitted that she looks like a little girl's doll with a mini-skirted frock, white bobby sox, and Mary Jane shoes. I know I'm getting these terms all mixed up but bear with me. There is also her stepmother (Brenneman) whom Witherspoon resents. Witherspoon's best female friend is Alyssa Milano, whom every high schooler should have -- or have had -- as a close friend, especially me. Milano is mischievous but fundamentally sound.Enter handsome bulked-up Mark Wahlberg, experienced, soft spoken, silky, full of concern for Witherspoon, and a raving maniac underneath all that muted politesse, but that comes later. This gracious young man comes home with Witherspoon to "meet the family," a necessary step in ordinary courtship, but Dad doesn't like him, not even at first meeting, when Wahlberg shakes Dad's hand and calls him "sir." Later, after Peterson intuits an outburst of violence from the kid, he REALLY perks up, his Darwinian points quivering.Witherspoon too, sporting a black eye, tells Wahlberg she wants nothing more to do with him, but Wahlberg's apology is passionate and seduces her. That's before he gets her off on the roller coaster, sneaks into her bedroom, and deflowers her. That sets the tone for the rest of the teen movie section. Two, or maybe three more times, he violates her trust and she forgives him tearfully until finally it's over for good. I sobbed like a baby.Now, the rest of the movie -- say, the last twenty minutes. Peterson happens to be an architect and has built his home with enough safety features to make Castle Machrae pale with envy. And Wahlberg, barred admittance, rounds up half a dozen hooligan buddies and attacks the fortress. If you want to see it done horrifyingly right, catch "Straw Dogs" or even "The Birds." Or, if you want the entire floor plan laid out before you at feature length -- louche man threatens and attacks one of those imaginary happy families -- try the 60s version of "Cape Fear." The most impressive thing about the movie is how YOUNG everyone looks. Scarcely a wrinkle in the entire cast. Wahlberg gives a decent performance and so, surprisingly, does just about everyone else. Amy Brenneman is memorable as Witherspoon's perceived rival for Peterson's affection, and she has virtually nothing to do but stand around and bystand, offering occasional suggestions and comments that do no more than reflect common sense.

Screen_Blitz A love story between two teens turns into a horrific nightmare in this romantic thriller directed by James Foley. Reese Witherspoon plays Nicole Walker, an average 16-year old girl in high school with great friends and loving parents. While attending a party with her best friend Margo (played by Alyssa Milano), she meets a handsome young named David McCall (played by Mark Wahlberg) who gives Nicole a ride home after the party. Nicole eventually develops a relationship with the seemingly heartthrob guy, much to the dismay of her overprotective father Steve (played by William Petersen) and their starts off fairly well. However, when David's love for Nicole soon grows into an obsession, a violent incident at school leads Nicole to believe that David may not be innocent as he appears to be. Nicole soon learns that David does not take "no" for an answer and will stop at nothing their relationship together, even if it involves harm of the ones she loves."Together forever...or else" is the tagline for this film, and it definitely resonates well with the film's plot as it deals with a young man's obsession with a beautiful girl that turns into deadly before she knows it. This teen version of the classic erotic thriller 'Fatal Attraction' puts Mark Wahlberg in his first role after his departure from the rap group Marky Mark and The Funky bunch, as a high school boy with a charming personality that masks his violent, sadistic nature. While his performance in this role is competent, he seems a bit miscasted. He doesn't look very threatening enough as the antagonist, even during the climax towards the end with the home invasion. As a result, his portrayal as the violent, obsessive young man doesn't feel very convincing. His performance as David McCall only feels believable when he and Reese Witherspoon begin their relationship and when they are sharing romantic moments together before his violent persona takes flight. After all, Wahlberg is only for portraying heroic roles in his films. On the bright side, the movie does manage to deliver some solid thrills and a few suspenseful moments to carry the dark atmosphere, while borrowing a few elements from other erotic thrillers. And the romance between Wahlberg and Witherspoon during the first half works fine, steering away from cheesy dialogue that many romance flicks are notorious for. The film doesn't offer much new to the table or anything to leave an worthwhile impression, but carries some entertainment value at least.Fear is a fine romance thriller that may appeal to teens as well as some adults, but nothing truly original nor overly clichéd should be expected here. This definitely isn't the most memorable in the resumes of the two main leads, but it is one worth checking out.

Spikeopath Fear is directed by James Foley and written by Christopher Crowe. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petesen, Alyssa Milano and Amy Brenneman. Music is by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Thomas Kloss.One of the number of psycho-sexual thrillers that surfaced in the 80s and 90s, Fear has the narrative hook that it involves teenagers. Witherspoon is the girl who invites drifter David McCall (Wahlberg) into her life, only to find he's as unstable as unstable can be. Director Foley and his team then produce a film that pretty much cribs from a number of other similar themed movies. All of the key scenes will be instantly familiar to genre film watchers, and unfortunately the plot twists and turns come as no surprise.However, in spite of the lack of originality in structure and narrative thrust, Fear is never dull, not even when Wahlberg is wistfully looking into Witherspoon's eyes like a love sick puppy. Suspense is on hand for the big finale, which unfolds with kinetic brutality, and it's also nice here to find that some thought has gone into the characterisations of those in peril. Kloss' photography around the various Seattle locales is vividly appealing, as is Burwell's music compositions, while the acting performances are all on the good side of good, with nobody harming the balance of the piece.A teenage Cape Fear – cum – Straw Dogs - cum – Fatal Attraction, but good with it regardless. 7/10

Uriah43 One day two high school students named "Margo Masse" (Alyssa Milano) and "Nicole Walker" (Reese Witherspoon) decide to check out a nightclub together. When they get there Nicole meets a young man named "David McCall" (Mark Wahlberg) and falls head over heels for him. However, underneath his smooth manner is a deeply disturbed person who resorts to violence at the least provocation. But what really sets him off is the thought of not having Nicole and his insane fear of losing her which only exasperates the situation even further. Anyway, rather than disclosing the rest of the story I will just add that as a psychological thriller this one definitely had some good points. I liked the performance of William Peterson (as Nicole's father "Steve Walker") and Mark Wahlberg but unfortunately, the first 30 minutes or so started off a bit too slow and the ending was much too simple and abrupt for me to rate it higher than I have. Slightly above average.