An okay domestic crime/revenge thriller
Thomas M. Sipos | Santa Monica, CA | 03/27/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Don't be fooled by the title. FEAR is not a horror film; it's a 1970s crime/revenge thriller, vaguely similar in theme (if not in tone) to such films as DEATH WISH and DIRTY HARRY.
Emphasis on "vaguely" similar.
This is a small film, shot in a California suburb and rural area. It looks like a low-budget TV movie.
Story is about a young couple (wife played by Kay Lenz) who buy their first house. Their happiness is soon marred by a criminal who breaks in, and the husband kills the burglar in self-defense. But he was only a teen (albeit with a long record). The dead teen's mom is outraged and sues the couple. The couple may lose the house in the lawsuit. The media makes the husband look bad. The police investigate to see if he was too "trigger happy."
The husband feels guilty over killing the teen. The wife feels "violated" by the break-in and no longer feels safe in the house. They feel they're being punished although they were the victims. Their marriage suffers.
Also, the dead teen's gang friends want revenge. They harrass the couple. It's mostly mild stuff, such as skulking about the yard, and throwing trash on their lawn. I said this was a low-budget film.
Finally, the couple takes a trip to the country to "get away from it all," and the teen's gang friends follow for a final shoot-out.
An okay, albeit small film."