Nature of the Beast (1995)

It is apparent that uptight and straitlaced salesman Jack (Henriksen) has stolen a briefcase of mob money from a Las Vegas casino and is hurriedly on the run to California behind the wheel of his company car. Beneath the facade of his business-like grace is the dark secret.A feculent, verbose and irritating hitch-hiker by the name of Adrian (Roberts) stalks him and just won't leave him alone. It is far from luck of the draw that Adrian, a lurking spirit of decadent evil has found Jack on the long ride home and he is insistent they have a killer weekend together. The whole truth of crimes of the past haunts each of them in their summit of criminal minds.Adrian enjoys making Jack feel uncomfortable and finds it pretty easy to do given that Jack is nobody's fool and appears to suspect him of being a particularly gruesome serial killer from the Most Wanted List who is loose in the area murdering people in cold blood. Whats more is the raggedy man doesn't deny it or a penchant for brutality. But he knows what Jack did and threatens to call the cops on him if Jack continues to avoid him or tries to ignore him subjecting him to what turns out to be the sensation of bittersweet purgatory.This odd couple of lonely hearts on the road in what is a form of buddy movie are nevertheless nothing like Bob Hope and Bing Crosby as they are more like demonic aliens. The intensity of their interactions suggests a great deal more is at play. Of course the hard truth IS a great deal more at play and each moment they spend together brings the audience closer to the rude awakening that things are kind of what they seem to be but also kind of NOT what they seem to be.A grave confrontation awaits as, left without options, there is only one way out to reconciling the deep terror of their differences at the end of their voyage.Eric Roberts never ceased being an electrifying performer from the beginning of his cinematic career in the 1970s. But difficulties with drugs and occasional expressions of violence curbed some of the success the southern gentleman might otherwise have had in his career resulting in a dead end near the early 1990s. The quirkiness of his characterizations show a complete lack of fear when improvising.Lance Henriksen remains the intriguing character actor who consistently steals scenes in supporting roles and can often play the lead. Like Roberts his attitude and charisma assert themselves behind the warped ethos and phony persona his character exudes.

An exploitation Oscar and Felix casts Eric Roberts as Adrian, a dirty piece of human driftwood hitchhiking the lonesome desert highway where, in random stopovers, people are being massacred by a phantom calling himself THE HATCHET MAN. Also, a local bank was robbed of a million bucks and uptight traveling salesman Jack, played by a subdued Lance Henriksen, reluctantly gives Adrian rides throughout the scorched purgatory. Jack, a dreary victim of Adrian's cocky pontifications of sex, violence and drugs, has a constant expression of a guy who has yet to drink his morning cup of coffee; while Adrian seems like he just bench-pressed a piano while chain-smoking cigarettes on crystal meth.Their best moments are hanging out at a dirty spoon diner or joining up with a free-spirited hippie couple living out of a van. Thus the mystery unravels and two important questions surface: When will the Hatchet Man, who seems to be Adrian, strike again? And will Jack, carrying around his metallic briefcase with not-so-mysterious contents inside, be an eventual victim?With a David Lynch vibe sans the distracting weirdness, THE NATURE OF THE BEAST... where the spooky desert becomes an ominous character in itself... is an entertaining vehicle for two actors usually cast in the predator role: that aspect alone makes the film's conclusion both pleasantly surprising and utterly predictable.

I've seen enough movies to know this genre, and this movie reminded me a lot of the movie "Switchback" with Danny Glover. Its the same old crazy hitchhiker type theme, but with some differences added.Lance and Eric are both amazing actors, and you have to give them props for their work here too. They are believable in their roles, and keep character the entire movie. Their scenes together were tensed and uncomfortable but that was exactly how it should have gone. I applaud them both. The movie was a bit on the slower side, because of its mystery nature, and really its more about situational tension than anything else. Still, I kept watching so I was interested enough to see what happens and the actors were a big part of that.I agree with the guy above me in that the ending was a bit on the disappointing side. The twists still got me good actually, and I was OK with them, but I agree they were forced and probably should have been smoothed over better by redoing the last 15 minutes or so. Its one of those movies where they just sorta end and you like "What!"So as I said, worth watching, but because of a little forced direction could have been better.

Just knew the moment that this picture start out with a BBQ sign and a car that seemed to move back and forth, like love making was going on inside, this was going to be a wild film to watch and enjoy. Eric Roberts,"Break a Leg",'05, had some real mental problems and was driving up and down a highway, from one diner, motel and vehicle he could find available. However, Eric decides to latch onto Lance Henriksen, "Dream Warrior",'04, who looked like a nice easy mark to latch onto and pester to death, which he did very well through out the picture. There are murders going on left and right and a person who has a million bucks he was able to steal from a casino. There are many twists and turns during the picture and the ending will shock you completely. There is even a Bible quotation from a prophet at the ending.