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The 1996 film "The Fan" is a psychological thriller directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, and Ellen Barkin. The movie explores the twisted relationship between a celebrity sports player and his most obsessive fan, leading to a deadly obsession. The story revolves around Gil Renard (Robert De Niro), a middle-aged, unemployed salesman who is an obsessive fan of Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes), a famous baseball player. After Rayburn is traded to the San Francisco Giants, Renard becomes even more obsessed with him and begins to stalk him obsessively. Renard's life is unraveling, with his ex-wife taking his son away from him and his sister wanting him to move out of the family home. Renard lives vicariously through Rayburn's success, but when Rayburn's performance begins to suffer, Renard becomes increasingly unhinged.

Renard's obsession with Rayburn grows and he begins to interfere with the player's performance in order to make him better. When Rayburn's agent, Manny (John Leguizamo) starts to worry that they've traded for a "nut," Renard sends a message to Rayburn telling him not to worry and that he's got his back. Rayburn, who is unaware of Renard's identity, starts to rely on him for support. Renard spends more and more time trying to help Rayburn, and his stalking becomes increasingly dangerous.

As Renard becomes more and more unhinged, Rayburn's performance continues to suffer. At the same time, Renard's obsession takes a darker turn, and he begins to manipulate Rayburn and those around him in a desperate attempt to get close to him. Renard becomes fixated on Rayburn's success and begins to see himself as an important part of Rayburn's life, even though Rayburn has no idea who he is.

The film is a tense psychological thriller that builds to a thrilling finale. The acting is superb, with Robert De Niro delivering a powerful and disturbing performance as the obsessive fan. Wesley Snipes is also excellent as the beleaguered baseball player, and Ellen Barkin is outstanding as Rayburn's ex-wife.

Overall, "The Fan" is a gripping and terrifying exploration of obsession and the dark side of fandom. The movie will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final credits roll, and it's highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.