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Fear X

Play trailer Poster for Fear X PG-13 Released Jan 19, 2003 1h 31m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Harry Caine (John Turturro) is a mild-mannered mall cop whose pregnant wife is killed in the underground parking lot where he works. It seems it may have been a contract killing, and Harry becomes obsessed with finding out the details. His investigation eventually takes him to a Montana town, where reality becomes unhinged for him, and he remains disturbingly unfazed by the wintry conditions and eccentric characters. In the end, he's not looking for revenge, just for the reason behind it all.
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Fear X

Fear X

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Critics Consensus

As hazy, unsettling, and fleetingly insubstantial as a dream, Fear X will lose many viewers in its ambiguities, but is partly propped up by strong work from John Turturro.

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Critics Reviews

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Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness The director captures a sense of hazy, harrowing obsession that's amplified by his immaculate camera set-ups and pans. Rated: B- Jun 15, 2011 Full Review Lou Lumenick New York Post A pretentious, unsatisfying and ultra-slow-moving thriller. Rated: 1.5/4 Jan 28, 2005 Full Review Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News Fortunately, Turturro's subtle turn keeps our emotional connection solid even when the story skates on thin ice. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 28, 2005 Full Review C.H. Newell Father Son Holy Gore Refn explores the dangerous path we find ourselves on when answers don't fit in a tiny, pre-packaged box, when our idealism runs afoul in a world not built for the idealistic. Rated: 4.5/5 May 3, 2019 Full Review Kaleem Aftab The List The pivotal moment of the film is a special effects sequence that makes Doctor Who look state of the art. Rated: 3/5 Apr 17, 2019 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Slick thriller. Rated: B- Dec 31, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Melissa L If it had ended in the same way it began, I would have rated it higher. The ending of the movie didn't fit the acting from the beginning. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/05/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 31 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Intense Thematic Material!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/25 Full Review Alain E The first half, centered on Turturro was excellent as the viewer is trying to understand what happened in the past. There is a nice slow rhythm and very good color photography. Then suddenly the point of view changes and the movie becomes a mess. I am not sure what the several seconds of evolving red forms are supposed to represent. The other characters introduced are not well developed. Then Turturro is shot and is shown in a room that doesn’t look like ICU nor hospital ward room. In the final scene a cop drives him in the middle of nowhere where, surprise!, his vehicle is waiting. Totally weird. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/23/25 Full Review Scott H I would call this the worst movie I’ve ever seen if I could actually call it a movie. I can’t. I would call it a proposal to a group of dweebs titled, “How many people can you sucker into wasting an hour and a half?” It had some promise. Then it got boring. Then it got stupid. Then it got really stupid. The dweeb won. The worst proposal I ever watched all the way to the end. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/22/25 Full Review Twiggy H Initially started off well, for one of those sort of arty slow films (not a lot of dialogue), but seems to get more and more slower as the film goes on. The acting was a off as well, but i put that down to poor film writing as firstly, clearly in the cctv video the wife wasn't the intended person he went to shoot, and secondly, it was totally off character to have a decent cop be unreasonable enough to then go with the intention to shoot the guy in a fudging hotel! when all he had to do is move his lips and tell him about it. Stopped watching at that point.. was just too slow to then be shown 'that' as being the pivotal moment *eye roll*. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Ravenswood R Very compelling film. The camera work and quality of cinematography are superb. The story is simple and effective. John Turturro is absolutely excellent. The pacing fits the story, and they story is not unclear or confusing. The themes in this movie are complex and interconnected. Top notch film-making and a total shame this was misunderstood and maligned by so many casual observers. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Fear X

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Fear X

Fear X: Official Clip - Into the Psyche Fear X: Official Clip - Into the Psyche 2:24 Fear X: Official Clip - I Killed an Innocent Woman Fear X: Official Clip - I Killed an Innocent Woman 2:11 Fear X: Official Clip - Who's Harry Caine? Fear X: Official Clip - Who's Harry Caine? 2:06 Fear X: Official Clip - Meeting in Room 503 Fear X: Official Clip - Meeting in Room 503 2:01 Fear X: Official Clip - Sneaking Around Fear X: Official Clip - Sneaking Around 2:02 Fear X: Official Clip - The Woman in the Photograph Fear X: Official Clip - The Woman in the Photograph 2:11 Fear X: Official Clip - Deadly Footage Fear X: Official Clip - Deadly Footage 2:11 Fear X: Official Clip - Are You Alone? Fear X: Official Clip - Are You Alone? 2:26 Fear X: Official Clip - I'm Not a Murderer Fear X: Official Clip - I'm Not a Murderer 2:04 Fear X: Official Clip - That Man Murdered Your Wife Fear X: Official Clip - That Man Murdered Your Wife 2:10 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Harry Caine (John Turturro) is a mild-mannered mall cop whose pregnant wife is killed in the underground parking lot where he works. It seems it may have been a contract killing, and Harry becomes obsessed with finding out the details. His investigation eventually takes him to a Montana town, where reality becomes unhinged for him, and he remains disturbingly unfazed by the wintry conditions and eccentric characters. In the end, he's not looking for revenge, just for the reason behind it all.
Director
Nicolas Winding Refn
Producer
Henrik Danstrup
Screenwriter
Hubert Selby Jr., Nicolas Winding Refn
Distributor
Silver Nitrate Films
Production Co
Fear X Ltd., Det Danske Filminstitutet [dk]
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Thematic Material)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 19, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 2, 2017
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Surround
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