1999, 1 hr 52 minutes, Rated R for some intense violent action. Dir: Jon Turteltaub. Cast: Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Dr. Theo Caulder), Anthony Hopkins (Dr. Ethan Powell), Maura Tierney (Lynn Powell), Donald Sutherland, George Dzundza.

I had the privilege of seeing a screening of Instinct Tuesday night, a couple of weeks before it premiers. Yes, I say privilege. After all the pre-hatred I had of this movie after seeing the trailer 50 times the last six months, I thought this film was well above average, as did the packed audience behind me (getting there 30 minutes early left me in the 2nd row).

Why was it good? Because of its star power. Academy Award winners Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Anthony Hopkins are two of the best in the business, and it shows. Their repartee was engaging, similar to The Negotiator from last summer with Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. The audience definitely responded to this one, from jumping at the right parts to laughing at others, and cheering in the moments the directed intended.

PLOT: Noted primatologist Ethan Powell is imprisoned in Rwanda for killing two park rangers and wounded three others. "The Lost Man," as the African papers call him, was missing for two years, and it turns out living among the gorillas he studied. He's brought back to the states for evaluation, with his psychiatrist being Theo Caulder (Gooding, Jr.), the top resident at the U. of Miami, whose motivation is to have a breakthrough with Powell for his career and a bestseller. But when he is "chosen" by Powell, Caulder learns that there more to this patient, and gets emotionally involved after he's drawn into the mind of a man who is in touch with life.

Valuable to Instinct was the supporting cast. Maura Tierney (of "Newsradio" fame) was underused, but effective, and in the future needs a bigger role, even if in an indepedent release. She is such a babe, not to mention a good actor. Thank you Director Jon Turteltaub for not pursuing a lovey-dovey relationship between Gooding, Jr. and Tierney. That was a relief because early on I was getting worried. In another good supporting role, Donald Sutherland is commanding, and made for a solid mentor for Gooding, Jr.'s character.

One gripe I must voice, why do all prisons have to be run by semi-corrupt wardens and there's always one guard that is the most evil man in the world? Just once I want to see a film where the guards and is

Another reason I enjoyed Instinct is because it's a film that actually had me sympathizing with gorillas. Yep, that's what I said. I am not a fan of the primates, and don't really enjoy seeing them at the zoo, nor do I watch any shows about them. Using my psychological powers inside myself, I trace it to the creation vs. evolution argument. Being a Christian, I resent the fact that scientists believe we came from those dirty, ugly creatures. But in an intense scene where we have learned more of Powell's life as part of a gorilla family and poachers/park rangers attack them, I felt bad and angry at the bad guys. That's why I know Instinct pulled me in, and I can say it's a movie worth watching.