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Spider

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Spider

R

Released Feb 28, 2003

1h 38m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

140 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Released after decades in a sanitarium, schizophrenic Dennis Spider Cleg (Ralph Fiennes) moves into Mrs. Wilkinson's (Lynn Redgrave) halfway house and befriends a fellow resident, Terrence (John Neville), before retreating into personal writing and the darkness of his own haunted mind. Spider struggles to decipher murky memories of a childhood trauma involving his abusive father (Gabriel Byrne), his murdered mother (Miranda Richardson), and a prostitute who may have replaced her.

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Critics Consensus

Ralph Fiennes is brilliant in this accomplished and haunting David Cronenberg film.

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Barbara Ellen

Times (UK)

The film's slow, plodding pace relies too much on strong performances and grubby splashes of "atmosphere" rather than genuine emotion and plot.

Jan 3, 2018

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Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Dec 30, 2006

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Newsday

Rated: 3.5/4

May 28, 2003

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Diana Tuova

Loud and Clear Reviews

Cronenberg’s controlled direction and Fiennes’s mesmerizing performance make Spider a riveting portrayal of one fractured mind haunted by a painful past.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 12, 2024

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network

A film built around a predictable twist that Cronenberg seems ill-suited for. Fiennes delivers a decent performance, but most of the present-day scenes feel inconsequential compared to the past. Richardson's dual roles are the film's greatest asset

Nov 7, 2024

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Bill Bria

Vague Visages

Cronenberg’s more internalized era doesn’t skimp on the devastating effects of self-destruction — in fact, it arguably finds them even more pronounced.

Jun 15, 2023

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Alejandro E

The odyssey of Telemachus, brought to the present day, in the person of a psychiatric patient, in a journey of introspection that is more destructive than sobering. The highlight is Ralph Fiennes who expresses much with few words.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

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Sinisa P

Powerful and tragic story, kept me processing it for days after I watched the movie. Pity that intro on RT is a spoiler.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

Full Review

David W

While difficult to follow at first and leaving the audience with too many unanswered questions for my liking, Spider does offer interesting and compelling filmmaking with the audience piecing together the story alongside the protagonist. However, the opacity is too much for my taste. I would only watch this again if there were nothing better to choose from.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

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Farah R

Despite Ralph Fiennes' exquisite performance and the shocking plot twist ending, Spider is painstakingly slow and dull. I'm not sure its pros outweigh the cons.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/17/23

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colin m

A fiftysomething man endeavours to reconstruct his past.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

As disturbingly depressing as it's meant to have been

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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David Cronenberg

Director

Ralph Fiennes

Spider

Miranda Richardson

Mrs. Cleg

Gabriel Byrne

Bill Cleg

Bradley Hall

Boy Spider

Lynn Redgrave

Mrs. Wilkinson

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Synopsis

Released after decades in a sanitarium, schizophrenic Dennis Spider Cleg (Ralph Fiennes) moves into Mrs. Wilkinson's (Lynn Redgrave) halfway house and befriends a fellow resident, Terrence (John Neville), before retreating into personal writing and the darkness of his own haunted mind. Spider struggles to decipher murky memories of a childhood trauma involving his abusive father (Gabriel Byrne), his murdered mother (Miranda Richardson), and a prostitute who may have replaced her.

Director: David Cronenberg
Producer: Catherine Bailey
Screenwriter: Patrick McGrath, Patrick McGrath, David Cronenberg
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: CBL, Artists Independent Network
Rating: R (Language|Brief Violence|Sexuality)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 28, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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