Instinct

Instinct is a derivative drama focused on the interaction between a primatologist (Anthony Hopkins), convicted of murdering two men in the jungles of Rwanda, and an ambitious young psychiatric resident (Cuba Gooding Jr.) trying to understand what happened. You could spend a productive day doing little more than ticking off the films from which Instinct cribs: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Gorillas in the Mist, The Shawshank Redmption, Dead Poets Society, and--a far better Hopkins film--The Silence of the Lambs. The script--a fuzzy embrace of Rousseau's romantic affinity with nature that is more philosophical tract than compelling drama--plods along, dropping its familiar cinematic tropes like bread crumbs leading viewers to desired responses. Somehow, even in the midst of such uninspired tripe, Hopkins still comes through with an invigorating performance--familiar, but more fiercely intelligent than anything else the film can deliver. The corollary--unfortunately--is that he also makes everything else, including Gooding's twitchy performance, look worse by comparison. Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)