25 Great Movies That Flopped
18. Instinct (1999)
But the real mystery is why this film didn’t do better at the box office.
“Instinct” is a beautiful story about one man’s connection to nature and another man’s fight to free him from prison.
Cuba Gooding Jr. plays the role of psychiatrist Dr. Caulder who is trying to find out why Ethan Powell, played by Anthony Hopkins, killed a park ranger in Africa. Powell is in prison convicted of murder when Gooding’s character shows up to evaluate him.
Eventually Dr. Caulder discovers that the gorillas Powell, an anthropologist, was studying in Africa had accepted him as family. Park rangers showed up and began killing the gorillas, and Powell’s instinct was to protect his family.
Dr. Caulder looks forward to a second trial he managed to secure for Powell, convinced that Powell will be vindicated for his actions now that his story has been told. (Before Dr. Caulder arrived Powell was so psychologically distraught he had stopped speaking.)
However, one of the guards launches a vicious attack on Powell before trial and he once again loses his speech. Dr. Caulder believes all is lost until he learns that Powell has escaped the prison by digging out the concrete around one of the windows. The guards are furious, some people are concerned, and they turn on Dr. Caulder demanding to know what happened to their inmate. Smiling, Dr. Caulder replies “You’re never gonna find him.”
Perhaps the film was too cerebral for general audiences, or maybe the previews left moviegoers unsure of what to expect. But despite its $62.9 million loss at the box office, “Instinct” is still a favorite movie of many fans.
