Warning: may contain some small spoilers

It's really funny, with better marketing this film may have done better business. What I remember seeing about this film was how evil and maniacal David was going to be. You knew going into the film that he was going to do some really bad things after his facade as the good boyfriend was over. But really, the whole first half of this film has the same feeling as Pretty In Pink or Some Kind Of Wonderful.

When I was watching how Nicole ( Witherspoon )was quickly falling for David's charm and sweetness, I was intrigued. There are some great moments in here that explore young love and my favourite scene in the film and one of my favourite scenes ever that deals with young virginal sexuality, is the roller coaster scene in the film. Everything about it was pure and honest. David ( Wahlberg ) and Nicole get into the front seat of the roller coaster and she is wearing a very short skirt. The ride begins and then the music starts. The song is Wild Horses by a group that I am not familiar with ( no, it is not the Stones ) and they begin to move. David begins to inch his hand cautiously up her skirt. Her facial expressions are perfect. She is apprehensive but excited and after a brief resistance, she lets him touch her. The roller coaster ride becomes a metaphor for how she is feeling. Nicole has now just had her first sexual experience of any kind and David has her. He knows it's only a matter of time before he will take her virginity and she knows it as well.

On this level, the film is perfect. Exploring young love is a delicate situation but director Foley handles it with ease and he even shows the beauty of how love can make you feel. It's just too bad that the film has to take a different path at the conclusion because this could have been a great coming of age love story. I'm not saying the psycho elements to the film are terrible, I'm just saying that the innocence of the love story seems to work and fit better in here. This is a film that reminds us of what it was like to fall in love for the first time and what it was like to make love the first time. And I enjoyed it for that.

I do recommend seeing this film but it just seems like two movies that could have been one. But it is enjoyable and the actors in here are great. Even Mylano and Petersen as Nicole's best friend and father respectively are fun to watch. So it is a good film. But again, not to be redundant, but I liked the innocence of it better than the vigor.

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

The sixteen year-old teenager Nicole Walker (Reese Witherspoon) has moved to the house by the lake of her father, the architect Steve Walker (William Petersen), to live with her stepmother Laura (Amy Brenneman) and her brother Toby (Christopher Gray). Her best friends are Margo Masse (Alyssa Milano) and Gary Rohmer (Todd Caldecott) that study with her in the high school. When Nicole meets David McCall (Mark Wahlberg) in a night-club, she has a crush on and dates him. David becomes obsessed by Nicole and one day he sees her friend Gary kissing and hugging her and he hits him. Nicole breaks with him but David continues to follow her. Steve decides to investigate the young man and he finds that he is an orphan that has spent most of his life in reformatories. The hell breaks loose in Nicole's life when David kills Gary and trashes the Mustang of her father. Steve breaks in his house and destroys everything inside. Now David and his gang go to Steve's house to payback.

"Fear" is a good movie, with great story and performances. I saw this movie for the first time in the late 90's on VHS and last Friday I saw it again on DVD, and the plot seems to be more realistic in the present days of violence and fear in many worldwide cities. This is also a great opportunity to see Reese Witherspoon very young and cute, and Mark Wahlberg perfect performing a manipulative psychopath. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Medo" ("Fear")