I will admit that there are a handful of Tony's films that I do not like at all. I tolerate them simply because of his presence in them. In time I will review all of his films, and you will then see that I am capable of giving some of his films not so favorable reviews. Tony himself admitted that he "had made an awful lot of lousy films, that's just the way it is." However, FEAR STRIKES OUT is not one of the above mentioned films. In fact, it is one of my personal favorites, of Tony and non-Tony films. It's just a wonderful piece of work.

Jimmy Piersall (Anthony Perkins) was a very good baseball player, but never quite good enough for his domineering and emotionally abusive father (Karl Malden). Throughout his youth, Jimmy would spend his time playing baseball. Not like your average kid though, for fun. Jimmy played for perfection. He would spend countless hours trying to perfect sliding into a base. He would play catch with his father, who would throw the ball hard enough that it would make Mickey Mantle cringe in fear. But little Jimmy never complained. He spent his life trying to please his father, which was impossible.

Jimmy, a natural outfielder, was asked to sign on with the Boston Red Sox as a shortstop. He had never played the position before and really didn't want to do it. His father told him that it would just take a little hard work, and insited that Jimmy sign on. It was the abovementioned events and many more like them that eventually lead to Jimmy's full nervous breakdown.

One of the things that I like most about FEAR STRIKES OUT is that it never seems to spend too much time on one particular subject. So many films of this kind try to drive one subject into the ground, which eventually becomes boring and redundant. FEAR STRIKES OUT spends just the right amount of time on each aspect of the story, never trying to make any particular scene the pivotal point of the film. Every ingredient blends together beautifully, making each character one that we, the audience, truly care for.

Anthony Perkins turns in a stellar performance as Jimmy Piersall. Although Mr. Piersall was by no means a psychopath, it was this film that convinced Sir Alfred Hitchcock to cast Tony as Norman Bates in PSYCHO (1960).

The supporting cast was equally impressive, especially Karl Malden. The role of Jimmy's father could have very easily been overdone by an actor, making him seem to be cruel just for the sake of being cruel, which was not the point that this film was trying to make. Jimmy's father had dreams of playing major league baseball in his youth, but had never made it to the big leagues. He desperately wanted Jimmy to become the personification of his dream.

In summation I must say that FEAR STRIKES OUT is one of Tony's finest films. If you're at all a fan of Mr.Perkins or just a fan of good films, I strongly advise you to check it out.