Main Cast: Henry Thomas, David Patrick O'Hara, Bill Duke, Teri Hatcher, Sandor Tecsy
Release Year: 1999
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
An alienated young man begins to question his own sanity in the wake of a horrible crime in the psychological thriller Fever. Nick Parker (Henry Thomas) is an aspiring artist who spends his evenings working on paintings and teaches art at the local YMCA to make ends meet. Nick has an apartment in a run-down building, where he often finds himself arguing with the landlord, Sidney (Sandor Tecsy). One night, Nick is disturbed by loud noises from the apartment above; he soon discovers the room has been rented to Will (David O'Hara), a threatening character who doesn't particularly care that Nick asked for an apartment without upstairs neighbors so he could work in peace. When Sidney is soon found murdered, Nick is questioned by a police detective (Bill Duke); Nick tells him he saw Sidney arguing with a drunk he evicted a few days before. However, when Nick passes the story along to Will, Will angrily replies that the old rummy wasn't capable of such a brutal crime. Before long, Nick starts sinking deeper into paranoia, wondering if his occasional rages might have something to do with his building's sudden crime wave. Fever was directed by Alex Winter, best known for his role opposite Keanu Reeves in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure; the film was screened in the Directors Fortnight series at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
This gloomy chamber piece rises above its seriously sullen tone thanks to riveting central performances and an ending that is not necessarily apparent. There are some who will figure out what's going on pretty early in the game, but Henry Thomas' performance is cagier than it seems. His dementia -- if he's demented -- may be a red herring and the answer is more obvious than suspected. Then again, who knows? Teri Hatcher, who plays Nick's protective sister, is cast in a thankless role that is defined by looking worried and chain smoking, but her fans will appreciate that it's more than a cameo appearance. Film students will enjoy studying the evocative, nearly expressionistic tones of gray and black the film is shot in -- Nick is an art teacher, after all -- and director Alex Winter sustains an oddly captivating mood of paranoia that holds until the end. Not for all tastes, but for those who crave something offbeat, Fever might raise the temperature a little. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Irma St. Paule - Rula; Marisol Padilla Sanchez - Soledad; Jon Tracy - Wooley
Credit
Todd Thaler - Casting, Azan Kung - Costume Designer, John M. Tyson - First Assistant Director, Alex Winter - Director, Thom Zimny - Editor, Connie Tavel - Executive Producer, Graham Bradstreet - Executive Producer, Joe Delia - Composer (Music Score), Mark Ricker - Production Designer, Joe Desalvo - Cinematographer, Coll Anderson - Sound/Sound Designer, Alex Winter - Screenwriter
