by Joe Barber
In this muddled mess of a movie, Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as an ambitious psychologist assigned to determine the sanity of a sociologist (Anthony Hopkins), lost among Africa’s great apes for two years, who killed forest patrolmen when discovered.
The movie wants to be several things; a sequel to Gorillas In the Mist, an attack on the hypocrisy of our “civilized” society and an old-fashioned prison reform film. What it wants to be and what it is are two very different things. Hopkins acts rings around a clearly overwhelmed Gooding and, except for the scenes with Hopkins and the apes, the only Instinct you’ll be left with is to flee the theater – quickly.
Damn good idea.