Dirk Wittenborn's story, directed by Griffin Dunne, starts to fall apart when, while watching African tribal rituals, the younger generation of characters begins chanting the expletive word for procreation, followed by "Kill!", again, and Again, and AGAIN... It's a scene representative of the film's "tribal" symbolism; the "upstairs/downstairs" cast of characters are varying levels of decadent rich. They act like, and are associated with, tribal savages. Their tribal passion is fueled by alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.
When one of the characters, in disguise, violently assaults another character, something is lost in the translation. This particular "event" must have been more clearly understood in Wittenborn's original book. "Fierce People" seems like must have come from a terrific novel. On screen, young Anton Yelchin (as Finn Earl) is endearingly huckleberry, in the protagonist's role. Massaging mother Diane Lane (as Liz Earl) and daddy-like Donald Sutherland (as Ogden C. Osborne) help keep it above average.
****** Fierce People (4/24/05) Griffin Dunne ~ Anton Yelchin, Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, Chris Evans
Fierce People
2005
Action / Drama / Thriller
Fierce People
2005
Action / Drama / Thriller
Plot summary
Sixteen year old Finn Earl lives with his Swedish massage trained mother Liz Earl in New York City, Finn who wants to get out from under her control in he often needing to be the adult between the two of them. She used to have an above board approach to her work, but has transitioned into doing massage work proverbially advertised in the back of disreputable magazines in order not only to satisfy her sexual needs but support her substance abuse, largely of cocaine and alcohol. Finn had been invited by his biological father, a world famous anthropologist who he's never met, to spend the summer with him in South America where he is currently living among and studying the Ishkanani tribe of peoples. But an incident not only kiboshes Finn's ability to travel abroad but shows Liz that she has to clean up her act for her and Finn's sakes. As such, she is easily able to convince aged Ogden C. Osborne, one of her more adoring non-sexual clients and the seventh richest man in the United States, to hire her to be his personal therapist while she and Finn live in one of his guesthouses at his ten square mile country estate in Vlyvalle, New Jersey for the summer. To make this experience more palatable especially in light of what he hoped was going to be a summer with his father, Finn decides to treat this stay like an anthropological study. In doing so, he interacts with the various people in Osbourne's life, from his family (his widowed daughter whose husband was purportedly shot by poachers on the estate, and her two offspring, young adult Bryce, and late teen Maya) to various servants (such as Jilly, the seventeen year old maid of their guesthouse, and Gates, Osbourne's hand picked sheriff who also works as his personal chauffeur) to some of Osbourne's rich neighbors and colleagues. While ultimately befriending most, even Bryce and Maya despite their socioeconomic differences, Finn may find that this "tribe" is more dangerous than the Ishkanani, who are known as the fierce people.
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uneven movie, quirky turns dark
It's 1980. 16 year old Finn Earl (Anton Yelchin) wants to escape from his drug addicted "massage therapist" mother Liz (Diane Lane) and their lower east side flat to study the Iskanani Indians or Fierce People with his anthropologist father whom he has never met. Instead, she takes them to the New Jersey country estate of her ex-client billionaire Ogden C. Osbourne (Donald Sutherland) for the summer. There he encounters another kind of Fierce People. He falls for Ogden's granddaughter Maya Langley (Kristen Stewart) and befriends her older brother Bryce (Chris Evans). Their father is in a coma and their mother (Elizabeth Perkins) is bossy. Jilly (Paz de la Huerta) is the exceedingly friendly maid.
Anton Yelchin plays yet another smug kid. This time, he's studying rich people like an anthropologist. It's an overly odd family but the quirkiness never gets to be funny. Then the movie takes a dark turn. The characters and the story always had some dark tones but the turn is especially nasty. The quirky slightly humorous movie breaks down and struggles. The movie is terribly uneven and director Griffin Dunne should have started the movie in a darker place. If he elevates the darker tones early, the movie could stay creepy and disturbed.
Interesting but one dimensional
The story is about class distinction and how rich people treat poor ones. The initial premise and setting are interesting. But the ending is a little silly. Without giving away the identity - why the villain should be so evil isn't really explained well - it's a bit one dimensional and too much.
Anton Yelchin does a good job - he has some screen presence and charm.
Diane Lane looks pretty here and acts well.
Watched this because I'm a Kristen Stewart fan but it is worth watching otherwise. You can see her getting experience for Twilight.
It has mature subject matter but is not lewd.