In the game of Life, some are chosen for greatness, while others... can only watch.Such is the case with Gil Renard (Robert DeNiro) a divorced, unstable knife salesman, who has only one light left in his life: Baseball.And only one person he admires:Bobby Rayburn.Bobby Rayburn, by sharp contrast, is the most preeminent baseball player for the San Francisco Giants.As the movie progresses, we watch both men's lives unravel.And while Renard loses his job, and custody of his son; Rayburn (played by Wesley Snipes) suffers a chest injury, and gets upstaged by an ambitious young player, Juan Primo (Benicio Del Toro).It is at this point in the story when Renard decides to take matters into his own hands:He murders Primo, thus restoring Rayburn to his former greatness, but this is not enough.Firmly believing that he has done a good thing (for the Giants, and his idol), Renard decides to reach out to Rayburn, it being his opinion that the baseball star doesn't acknowledge his fans enough.This sets off a series of events which lead the increasingly more unhinged Renard to kidnap Rayburn's son...and demand a home run in exchange for his return.This is a very familiar theme of obsession and murder.You've seen this movie before, with different actors, different storylines, and different titles.What makes this one worth watching however, is a decent script (take for instance, the last scene of the movie), an excellent cast, and a powerful director.Tony Scott does a terrific job with this movie, giving it a dimension most directors could never have achieved.The actors are right on target, bringing out the complexities of their characters.Bobby Rayburn is very well played by Snipes:He's confident, and self-assured without being arrogant.Robert DeNiro is spectacular as Renard:He's clearly psychotic, and, although you can't root for him, you can understand what's causing his breakdown.He's a failure at his degrading job. Because of his volatile personality, he's incapable of maintaining a good relationship with his son, and his marriage crashed some time ago.His one moment of glory was in Little League. And as, the shot of an old newspaper clipping flashes through the screen, you feel you understand this character perfectly.John Leguziamo, and Ellen Barkin put the finishing touches on a movie which, though not unforgettable, is still strangely notable.Originally Written On: June 5, 2018

It's probably best that you ignore the hackneyed plot of this movie, plus all of the déjà vu you'll be getting from watching it. Sure, we've seen this type of movie before, many times, but slickness of direction, good cinematography and two standout performances from Snipes and De Niro as the leads make this a worthwhile venture, no matter what the critics might say.Basically, De Niro revisits his role in TAXI DRIVER as a normal, everyday kind of man who is thrown out of sync with everyday life and is forced to take drastic action to be noticed. De Niro's acting is flawless and he really convinces us that he's completely mad in his tour-de-force performance of innocent knife salesman turned psycho. Wesley Snipes is also surprisingly powerful as the good-natured star forced to deal with an obsessed fan, emoting pretty well in some heavy scenes. Ellen Barkin is realistic but irritating as a commentator, while the familiar face of John Leguizamo has little to do as Snipes' agent. Benicio del Toro briefly appears as a rival baseball player who comes off the worse for wear after his encounter with De Niro.The movie is at its most subtle and best at the beginning, with a character study of De Niro's initial descent into his insanity. There are many clichés along the way, and over the top bits, culminating in a ending which is a bit predictable, but still fun thanks to the actors. While not a gory film (aside from one unforgettable scene), this is still pretty violent stuff, both physically and mentally, thanks to effects work from Kevin Yagher. It's also quite disturbing and frightening, and has an edge of hard realism which makes it a gripping movie. Although not the most original film of all time, this is a fine showcase for the talents of the two leading men and passes the time well enough.

Obsessive, compulsive behavior best describes Robert De Niro's fine performance in this film.As a San Francisco Giant fan, he attends all games and proceeds to lose his salesman's job. He is divorced from his wife who gets out a restraining order when he shows irresponsibility regarding their young son.With his life heading southward fast, De Niro really takes a magnetic look at Westley Snipes, a baseball star, just signed by the Giants at a whopping contract. He makes calls to sports shows and is a virtual regular on a show hosted by tough talking Ellen Barkin.The film goes over to violence as De Niro handles Benecio Del Toro, Snipes' rival on the team.The last scene is out of a baseball inning nightmare.

This is a difficult movie for me to watch. Not because of the acting. de Niro, a fine actor, gives a fine performance. But it is of a very sick person.Nor do I care to watch movies in which children are threatened.So what, then, was the point in making this movie, which tells the story of a very disturbed individual, de Niro's character, who goes from being a bad father to his own son to a kidnapper and terrorist of the son of a baseball player whom he idolizes. (Why does he idolize Snipes' character? We never really know.) It's all very exploitative. Some fine actors wasted on an exploitative script.I sat through it once. But I would never recommend it to anyone, despite de Niro's fine acting, nor would I ever sit through it again.I just don't see the point in making a movie like this. Who would get any pleasure out of it?