INSTINCT

INSTINCT Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr. (1999, Touchstone, 126 mins., R, also on DVD) Eager shrink Theo Caulder (Gooding Jr.) is dispatched to a hellish prison to unravel the dark mysteries of gorilla expert Ethan Powell (Hopkins) -- rendered mute after being arrested for savagely offing Rwandan park rangers. Never mind that the film's portrayal of the mentally ill is on a par with There's Something About Mary's -- the clumsy moral that we were all better off as hunters and gatherers couldn't be sillier. REEL GOODIES (0:36) Though seen on screen throughout, Hopkins finally utters his first line (for the record: ''Goodbye''). THE LAST DETAIL Sir Anthony temporarily retired after this bit of monkey business; he's wrapped his return project, next May's Mission: Impossible 2. D+