MrGKB ...provides a tolerable waste of time, particularly to fans of Lance Henricksen and/or Eric Roberts. In a nutshell, there's a psycho on the loose in the American southwest, and as luck would have it, he crosses paths with a guy who's ripped off a casino for a million dollars or so. One thing leads to another, and the fun is all in watching how it plays out, thanks to consistent work on the part of Henricksen and Roberts. Even the ubiquitous Lin Shaye gets in on the action, along with a cameo appearance from Brion James, who is most distressingly looking every bit of his age.There are a few "Oh, c'mons!" in the script, and Henricksen's "fat roll" is a little too obviously fake, but by and large this little drama unfolds in a reasonably satisfying (if not overly believable) manner, much like its obviously inspirational predecessors, "Prey," and "The Hitcher." There are no great surprises in store, including the twist ending, but the production values are high, especially the cinematography by Levie "Malcolm in the Middle" Isaacks, and some moody scoring by Bennett "Jeepers Creepers" Salvay."You can't kill the Devil, Jack," but it's always fun when someone tries.

CMRKeyboadist Nature of the Beast is a movie based completely around its main characters, Lance Henrickson and Eric Roberts. Henrickson plays the part of Jack who seems to be a mild mannered person until he meets Adrian (Roberts) who is a very dark and disturbed man. They meet out in the desert in a café and right away you know there is something wrong with both characters as there is a murderer killing people in the area calling himself the Hatchet Man and there was a robbery at a local casino. Both men seem suspicious and it seems that Jack can't get away from Adrian.The whole movie is virtually Henrickson and Roberts on the screen. Their performances are excellent and highly underrated. It's strange how these great actors got such bad acting gigs after this movie.The storyline is truly a well thought out plot and director Victor Salva proves that he can be a good director. This film is a lot better then the other films I have seen by him. Such films as "Clownhouse" or "Jeepers Creepers 1 and 2" are well directed but are just not anywhere on par with this psychological thriller.I do recommend this movie to fans of great suspense and mystery. The only downfall is I thought the ending was predictable. Still a great film. 8/10 stars

Jonny_Numb The setup for "Nature of the Beast" is ingeniously simple, and fraught with limitless potential for suspense: harried salesman Jack (a very domesticated Lance Henriksen) picks up trouble in the form of hitchhiker Adrian (Eric Roberts), who seems to be in possession of incriminating information against Jack. Oh, and over a million dollars has been stolen from a casino and someone dubbed 'Hatchet Man' is dismembering people in the desert. Sounds great, right? Sort of like "The Hitcher" meets "Psycho." One or both of these men has a secret, and nothing is as it seems! Well, unfortunately, writer-director Victor Salva (of "Jeepers Creepers" and "Powder" fame) doesn't have enough ideas to keep the movie going, the scenario arouses no tension or suspense (poison for what is supposedly a 'thriller'), and the inclusion of an underlying homo-erotic tone seems out-of-place. Henriksen evokes an unusual, not-quite-earthbound Everyman (even sporting an ample gut), but Roberts is about as threatening and scary as an extra in "Death Wish 3"; we're never sucked in to the point where we actually CARE about what's happening, and the conclusion slides into improbable territory (I kept thinking it was going to be "Fight Club" all over again, but I was mistaken). Too bad. "Nature of the Beast" could have been something else...instead of nothing else.

jcanettis Although underrated, "The Nature of The Beast" is a very good thriller. Its tense and bleak atmosphere keeps you in a nail-biting state throughout the film, with its best part being its end, when a brilliant plot twist really brings everything upside down.The story begins with Jack (Henriksen), a typical, middle-class executive on a business travel, who bumps onto a murder scene; the policemen in charge advise him to be careful on his way, as there is a serial killer in the area hitch-hiking for his next victim. Keeping this advice in mind, he avoids somebody he encounters who asks for a lift; unfortunately, he is not so lucky, as he soon finds the guy in a diner some kilometers ahead. The guy loses no time to introduce himself as Andrian (Roberts), and he soon becomes a thorn on Jack's side, who in turn realizes that it will be very difficult to get away from this menace...Featuring two great performances, the movie is virtually a two-man show: Both Roberts and Henriksen are really great in their roles, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the film's value is based on them. The other characters have short appearances which simply supplement the duo.A film worth having a look. 7/10.