I’m an unabashed Tony Scott fan. May he rest in peace. But this is certainly one of his lesser efforts.
Gill (Robert DeNiro) is a superfan. A loyal supporter regardless of ladder position, form and public opinion. Gill has the merchandise and the season tickets, and is a talkback radio regular. And in his free time Gill is a travelling salesman. A travelling salesman who sells knives…
Gill is delighted when his team signs a major name to its roster. Actually everyone is. Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes) is assuredly the guy to elevate the team beyond mediocrity and into title contention.
Surely?
Away from the game Gill is having issues with work and family. He adores his young son but has difficulty showing it without upsetting him or letting him down, which angers his ex-wife.
Gill has the intensity that he demands from his sports team, but it seems that the intensity only disturbs and offends people in real life.
Even when Rayburn’s pre-season boasting and self confidence doesn’t immediately bring wins, no-one panics. Least of all Gill. When another call to the local talkback station results in Gill actually talking with Bobby – over the airwaves at least – for a couple minutes, he feels a genuine kinship with his hero.
It’s a matter of time until success comes knocking.
The matter of time becomes weeks. Then months. Hits aren’t forthcoming. Criticism and unsolicited advice from strangers is. Bobby Rayburn retreats from the spotlight. At least as much as a high profile sports star can. The casual fans jump off the wagon. But not Gill. The flakiness of the fans and media infuriates him. Actually it seems many things infuriate Gill…
Remember he’s a travelling knife salesman?
Bobby remains mired in his slump. The media blame his big contract and inflated expectations. Bobby blames it on his team-mate’s unwillingness to let him wear his special jersey number.
Gill decides he has the answer. By this stage we all think we have the answer. We just want the film to recognise and get to the bloody point.
Tony Scott films work best when they glitz things up with gaudy action and unexpected flashy effects and editing. It worked for stuff like Man on Fire, The Last Boy Scout and Unstoppable, and makes junk like Domino appear a bit better than they are.
It doesn’t work here. There is no action to play with, and with a plot this straightforward it becomes impossible to make the predictable seem unpredictable.
Sometimes it’s better to acknowledge that you’re boring, rather than try to fool everyone into thinking you’re really an exciting guy or gal. Inane twists and loopy character choices can’t pull the wool over our eyes.
The Fan is a Corn Flakes trying to be Fruit Loops.
Final Rating – 6 / 10. Notice I never bothered to mention the sport that Bobby plays? This is not a sports film, it’s a heavy handed drama about not very much.
