Anthony Perkins, Hollywood's most ballyhooed new star since James Dean, justifies most of his press agents' blurbs by the power and sincerity of his performance here...

| Oct 29, 2019

[Mulligan] reflects an intense sensitivity, a romanticism of vulnerability and innocence that flashes a political edge.

| Apr 5, 2019

Director Robert Mulligan's feature film debut is a harrowing and intense biopic of Boston Red Sox baseball star Jim Piersall, superbly portrayed by Anthony Perkins.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 6, 2014

Harrowing look at pressures on a young ballplayer.

| Aug 16, 2012

Fear holds up well, and the climactic showdown between father and son offers a tremendously appealing resolution.

| Original Score: A- | Mar 4, 2011

Fear Strikes Out rolls Frank Merriwell and Sigmund Freud into a ball and then lines it out for a solid hit.

| Mar 4, 2011

This directorial debut for Mulligan also boasts an extremely effective, typically full-volume performance by Malden as Piersall's demanding but loving father.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 4, 2011

A cold biopic that doesn't hold up now that its subject matter has left the spotlight.

| Dec 24, 2010

Grimace-a-ton

| Sep 6, 2009

Anthony Perkins, in the young Piersall role, delivers a remarkably sustained performance of a sensitive young man, pushed too fast to the limits of his ability to cope with life's pressures.

| Mar 26, 2009

Rarely seen character study of baseball great Jimmy Piersall with great work by Anthony Perkins in title role--and Karl Malden as his demanding dad.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 17, 2008

Anthony Perkins gives a great, twitchy performance as Jimmy Piersall.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 26, 2006

Harkens back to a simpler time in baseball, where there were no steroids just eccentric players.

| Original Score: B | Apr 10, 2006

Mr. Perkins plays the young fellow excellently, not only conveying the gathering torment but also actually looking like a ballplayer on the field.

| Mar 25, 2006

It's a little poky and tentative, but a promising start by the Pakula-Mulligan team.

| Jan 26, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 27, 2005

Mulligan does his best to get around Perkins' lack of baseball credibility, even laughably avoiding any shots of him fielding a groundball during the shortstop experiment.

| Apr 5, 2005

Less of a 'baseball movie' and more of a black & white cautionary tale that's light on surprises and heavy on the melodrama.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 6, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 23, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 2, 2003