MovieChat Forums > Instinct (1999) Discussion > A few complaints...

A few complaints...

posted 14 years ago by Xeokym
2 replies | jump to latest

In general I love this movie. I know it's got some cliches in it, but for the most part it's got a good message, and it makes you think. There are only a few things that get under my skin a little bit, though...maybe someone else can help me through them (or maybe they're just valid points). Let me know how you viewed these issues:

In Africa, when he stops going back to his camp and starts spending even the nights with the gorillas, I can understand that the people back at his camp begin to wonder where he is. He says, "they found my things, you see," meaning the machete, the camera, the binoculars, etc. and I guess they started wondering what happened to him, likely assuming he was dead, over anything else. The people who come looking for him, are they the police? Did they assume that the gorillas have possibly killed him, and that's why they come into the forest just shooting them straight out? The first time I saw the movie, I thought he just sort of randomly ran into gorilla poachers, but after seeing it again I realized they had come looking for him. It's like they left out the details for all that and I never quite followed exactly what occurred. Why didn't he just inform the people at his camp that he'd be spending more time out there so they DIDN'T worry and come looking for him? And if the government knew there was an American doctor out in the bush studying gorillas, why would they go out there shooting?! Why wouldn't they just search for him without killing anything? Even if they thought the gorillas were dangerous, didn't they consider they might accidentally shoot the very doctor they were trying to find? They were banging on pots, making the gorillas run, so there really was no need at all to shoot anything. I really don't get what happened there.

And why didn't he just yell "I'M HERE!! HERE I AM, DON'T SHOOT!!" instead of attacking them? Once they found him, wouldn't they stop shooting at the gorillas just the same? Opening his mouth would have accomplished the same thing as bashing them over the head with a big stick, and maybe no more gorillas would have been shot, too. Of course, though, that wouldn't be as interesting as what actually happened, and it'd make for a LOT less interesting movie, I suppose!

In the end, how the hell did he get back into Africa?! I know it's just a movie, but it just made me wonder...no doubt they had his passport and would certainly not let someone arrested for murder (and murder of OFFICIALS, to boot) back into the country! His face would be on a MOST WANTED list; plus, once he got there, a white guy with long white hair, he'd stick out like a sore thumb! How on earth would he live in the jungles, undetected? And he said in his note, "thank you for helping me get my daughter back," and yet, how would he keep in contact with her once he's an escaped dangerous criminal? By doing what he did (breaking out), he basically sealed the deal that he's likely NEVER going to get to see his daughter again, or if he did, he'd likely get arrested again. He may have made amends with her but what he does afterward is just as selfish and irresponsible as him abandoning her the first time. It was actually more believable that Hannibal Lechter just faded off into the crowd in another country than this guy going off to live happily ever after in the jungles with the silverbacks.

Like I said, I love the movie, these are just a few minor things that puzzled/bugged me...I'd like to hear some explanations from other people.

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[–] alexluthor 14 years ago

All of the questions about "why did they go in shooting," "why keep shooting after they found him," etc can be answered in the exact same way. Although it is just a movie the point is that the violence and murder is all because of men, because we have devolved from the apes (or gorillas) and are so disturbed and "evil" that we can not allow pure things (like gorillas in this particular movie) to exist without destroying them. Or so is the message of this film. We are probably meant to assume that the believed that Ethan's things and assumed that they killed him (or they were planning to kill the animals for the same reasons that poachers would and so if they accidentally hit AH they could say they had no choice but to kill him and the gorillas. You have to understand that the people shooting at the animals were not Americans and that they were obviously corrupt/ didn't give a damn about anyone or anything. If you and I were looking for a doctor in the woods we wouldn't kill anything unless it was in the process of killing him or her. In other parts of the world, if you can 'rescue' an American and make yourself a ton of money by killing a couple gorillas and selling the parts, it's a double bonus.

As far as how he got back to Africa, it would have been much easier in the 1980s or 1990s than it is today. Especially if he ran out of American and into some smaller South American country where they never had heard of him. He could have bought a fake passport on the black market and gotten onto a plane illegally. Actually, it's still fairly easy to get into other countries (especially from the US) without a real passport. The only reason people are caught now is because every airport in the world has computers and can more easily identify people, especially those who's pictures are all over TV with the words "prison escapee" under them. Back then, he very easily could have found a small airport in the US where he could have boarded a plane and gone to Africa from.

[–] gmoxie 9 years ago

My take on the shooting was that the gorilla poachers were never looking for him...to HELP him. They didn't care if he was still alive or dead. They likely found out that he was a scientist studying gorillas so they followed his trail, knowing that they would find gorillas. They were always looking for the gorillas. His trail was a means to their goal.

Also, baby gorillas were the prize and as such back in those years it was not uncommon for poachers to kill all the adults (who were defending the young/babies) in order to capture the babies alive. Babies were easier to transport and paid very well. This is why he was running with the baby and then hid it. The poachers also probably wanted (and cut off) adult feet and other body parts, etc, but the live baby would be the prize.

He was running, first of all, because he was trusted by the gorillas to protect the baby. He wanted to protect the baby and didn't care about himself. Secondly, yelling probably would not have stopped the poachers.