BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

michaelgryder I can't believe I had never seen this movie until now! I am not at all a strong writer, and have never reviewed a movie, but watching this film made me want to write a review so here it is!Both Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding, Jr. really nailed their parts in this movie. As I write this, I'm realizing that I have no idea how to review a movie.The pace of the movie was great, and never leaves you bored. It isn't overly suspenseful, but by no means is it boring. Each scene flows well from one to another.Very intelligent, thought provoking, and heart-wrenching film, brought me to tears on at least 3 separate occasions!

Raul Faust A drama involving relationship with animals has everything to be pretty clichéd and predictable, but happily, "Instinct" isn't. Cuba Gooding Jr. is a psychiatrist who tries everything in his power to understand why Ethan (Anthony Hopkins' character) is so violent and mute. Some people have stated Hopkins' acting in this picture is great; for the first 30 minutes his character didn't speak a word, so I was ready to ask you guys if you find it hard to act without saying any words-- but fortunately, after he starts speaking we can notice how good he is. Some people also have complained that Hopkins' repeated his classic character from "LAMBS"; I may agree they're similar characters, but we can see some differences between them. I find the conversations in this movie very well written, and they helped the story to flow, delivering an engaging and entertaining film. Of course I noticed how Hollywood it is when they stated that prison was a "maximum-security prison" when actually they have only 3 or 4 incompetent officers a lá "Scream" series. All in all, "Instinct" is an interesting picture involving human nature and our relationship with animals, nature.. and humans!

elshikh4 This is an awfully sentimental movie, with nice acting and promising script. But, sorrowfully, it's also one of the movies which you find yourself asking after its end; what does it say ?! The problem is within this script. It's not only promising, it rather has so great factors : The thrilling psychological investigation about the truth of strange murders, exploring a vague yet interesting man, a despotic reign vs. oppressed people, the animal vs. the rational human who became more beastly, the love and family vs. money and position. The tragedy though is that this movie didn't pick out well what to say out of all of these beautiful meanings. Or maybe it picked out saying them all in the same time (!), to end up with nothing complete.(Anthony Hopkins) is an excellent actor but I longed for someone who's physically bigger, such as Nolte, Hackman, or Connery (who I knew later that the role was written for him). The chemistry wasn't that palpable between him and (Cuba Gooding Jr.) as well. (Cuba Gooding) gave only 90 % of him for the role, and the script embarrassed him already with inconsistent aims; does he have to be more concern about love (the mentor himself forgot to express his love to his daughter !!), does he have to be more human and less beastly (that was the problem of the prison's managers, not him !), was he after the wrong goals all along ? (then what he got from that man to get right ?!). So the moment in which he tells Hopkins, so teary and desperate, "You taught me how to live" was undoubtedly the highest peak of sentimental crap this movie could achieve !The soft piano score got on my nerves since it made the movie's soundtrack as the same as any other Hollywood movie with romantic feel. I thought I was watching (Patch Adams – 1998) for god's sake! It was boring score and surely it obliterated big part of the movie's singularity. On the contrary, the sound effects worked highly. They incarnated smartly many important emotions and turning points. The end with the lead runs away made it kind of mix between (Scent of a Woman – 1992) and (The Shawshank Redemption – 1994). So was it about how the people became so inhuman therefore the only available freedom would be by living with the animals?! That's the closest meaning it could reach, however by unsettled script and after nonplused time. What makes you sad is that it had real original factors to be one-of-a-kind movie, but it blew it. If something (Instinct) missed, and extremely needed to be true magical, then it's the instinct of being focused.

Hang_All_Drunkdrivers This could have been OK but Cuba Gooding's portrayal of the overly earnest shrink ruined it.Anthony Hopkins is interesting as a primatologist who lived with gorillas for a couple of years and then was sent to prison for killing poachers. Gooding visits him in prison to try to find out what happened even though it's none of his business. Gooding portrays the shrink as a noble man fighting the good fight against the neaderthal prison guards and warden. It's so heavy-handed it makes you sick.Way too much sitting around and talking in this flick. Movie should have been about Hopkin's life with the gorillas, not the boring prison meetings with the shrink.Ending is pathetic. Hopkins just removes a window in front of everybody and walks away and they never find him!