13. Be nice, Bob Baseball field showdown The Fan (1996)
The Fan is not only an underrated movie, but also an early example that Scott was not only a moviemaker, but a movie fan. The Fan starred Robert De Niro as Gil Bernard, effectively revisiting his Rupert Pupkin character from The King of Comedy. Things arent going well for Gil, his marriage is over and hes failing as a father as well as his job as a knife salesman, the one thing he has left is that hes a huge baseball fan, saving particular admiration for Bobby Rayburn, played by Wesley Snipes. The Fan is clichéd but thanks to a wonderfully creepy performance from De Niro and Scotts commitment to the cause, it manages to achieve a number of memorable moments. This is the third, but far from final, entry in a row in which the selected scene is the finale of the film and this is no coincidence. Scott understood the type of movies he made, understood the audience and understood that his audience wanted an exciting finale, to which he duly obliged. Honourable mentions go to the early scene in which Gil tries to juggle taking his son to a baseball match and an important business meeting and even more so to the later scene where Gil takes Bobbys abducted son to play a little baseball with his friend Coop, but Scott being Scott saved the best until last. Check your sensible hat at the door for this one. As the rain teams down yet the baseball game continues, Bobby is under instruction from Gil to hit a home run and dedicate it to a true fan otherwise he isnt getting his son back. Bobby does what hes told, but guess whos disguised as the umpire? As Gil unravels whilst their confrontation is shown on the big screens, the melodrama is almost tangible, but if youve invested in the movie thus far Scott ensures disappointment is kept at bay. Without a helicopter in sight, Gil is gunned down on the baseball mound in an ending tenderer than it has any right to be.