Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 01:08:41

A Scorsese Shocker, Tense and Suspenseful!

Although not as good as Scorsese's other films, but that was to be expected. The material was just not as personal or as good. But still, this is a memorable shocker with a powerhouse performance by DeNiro. DeNiro creates a truly scary character that is even more frightening because he is a normal `person', no supernatural elements or superhuman strength, just an ex convict who is out to get him. DeNiro mastered a truly over the top accent that, at times, seems a bit like Robert Mitchum's homicidal preacher from `Night Of The Hunter', by the way, Mitchum starred in the original 1962 `Cape Fear' playing DeNiro's role. DeNiro delivers an intense, breathtaking portrait of evil creating a complex character that ends up stealing the movie. Scorsese's visual flare runs rampant creating a tense atmosphere that is both dazzling to behold and unnervingly intense. Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange are both great as the uneven married couple. But it is Juliette Lewis who, apart from DeNiro, delivers a truly impressive performance. She creates an unforgettable portrait of adolescent innocence. The scenes with DeNiro and Lewis in the school basement are a magnificent exercise on subtle manipulation by DeNiro, those few scenes are so well made it's scary. The part where DeNiro sticks his thumb in Lewis mouth was pure DeNiro, made up on the spot. Scorsese went for the excessively violent action-packed ending near the end, which can be viewed either as a mistake or as a good choice. The ending is suspenseful and nicely staged during an apocalyptic rainstorm. While some may argue that the 1962 version was better, this one is certainly a close second. Extras: both Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, who appeared in the first film, appear in cameos. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!

michaelcarruthers 2012-05-24 11:59:39

Brilliantly written stalker thriller featuring a marvellous performance from Robert DeNiro.

CAPE FEAR (1991)THE GOOD:--This film kept me captivated to the screen the whole time with it'shaunting story of a psychotic man stalking a lawyer who did him wrong. Thefilm's storyline raises many issues of right and wrong and moral judgement,and how a person's place in society must influence their decision on howthey practice the law. I also enjoyed messages and subtext showing howmurder, whether in self-defence or pure viciousness, affect us. This isshown in a very subtle and respectable manner in a small moment near the endof the film where Nick Nolte is desperately trying to wash the blood ofanother man of his hands.--The performances in this film are astounding, especially from thephenomenal Robert DeNiro, who proves again just how much range he has.Juliette Lewis is also terrific and I really got the vulnerable yet strongfeeling from her and she played the tormented teen very well, seeing thecharacter from various angles. Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange were alsorespectable in their leading roles.--"Cape Fear"'s best scene must go to the play theatre scene between the twobest actors in the film - DeNiro and Lewis. They interact for what seems tobe about 15 minutes, exchanging brilliantly constructed dialogue, theircharacters slowly building confidence around each other. It feels like oneof the longest scenes in film history, it also feels like one of the best.--Martin Scorsese's direction of the film…stylish, focused. He always keepsthe suspense going, he has visual flair, makes simple shots look amazing andbrings out the best in his actors. But that is of course what we've come toexpect from this wonderful director after "Raging Bull".--The cinematography in this film is very cool. I loved the use of red as afade-in and fade-out, and the red skies were neat. The close-ups also helpedwith the intensity of some of the scenes, and also made me feel like I waswatching the film at the theatre, which was a really neatfeeling.--The score from the movie, especially the main theme, is thrilling andparticularly memorable, I'll have that tune on my head for the rest of theweek. THE BAD:--The final showdown has a slightly weak ending. After all the build up Iexpected the send off of our main character to be more climactic, it kind offeels like a "is that it?" ending. It's frustrating that the flaw in thefilm is it's end, thus I left the film with a lower grade than I would havein the first hour and 45 minutes or so.--Robert DeNiro being attached to the bottom of the car? That's going just alittle slightly overboard don't ya think?RATING:9/10 - Probably the highest 9/10 I have ever given. A highly recommendablestalker thriller with a stunning performance from Robert DeNiro andbrilliant direction by Martin Scorsese.IF YOU LIKED THIS MOVIE I RECOMMEND:Bringing Out the Dead (9/10)Fear (8/10)Gangs of New York (10/10)Raging Bull (9/10)Swimfan (6/10)

Leah 2012-05-22 20:30:40

Comparing It to The 62' Version

The 91' version of cape fear has more excitement in it, I think. The acting of the villian, in this case, DeNiro, was so interesting and there was so much more behind the man than the first one. They didn't give you much information in the 62', but they at least made you like the main character, Sam. In this version you tend to not like Sam because he sneaks around with a woman and had purposely thrown this man in jail even though he was his lawyer. I would say that the 62' version is a little bit better because you at least give sympathy to the characters as in this one, you give it to the bad guy.

Jonathan Rosenbaum 2012-05-22 09:01:23

It's hard to understand why Martin Scorsese wanted to remake a nasty, formulaic 1962 thriller whose only "classic" credentials are a terrifying performance by Robert Mitchum and a Bernard Herrmann score.

Gustavo S. D. Bastos 2012-05-21 06:31:18

2 HOURS OF TENSION...

De Niro is brilliant. As usual.Scorcese/De Niro always works well and suspense and tension until the endare incredible as well the music...

wazow 2012-05-20 14:06:50

Surprisingly bad

Definitely the worse of Scorsese's films I have ever seen. It's longish,boring and not convincing. The music and effects resemble early James Bondproductions. It would fit well in TCM program. The only good thing about it is that it is not frightening at all (and Ihate to be frightened).

2012-05-17 02:24:01

How Can You Compare this to the Original?

On its own, this film is alright. It has some good things, but its not fantastic. When compared to the origina 1962 version, its a different story. Its horribe! Part of the artistic vlue of the original was the difference in class between Sam and Max. In this version, Nick Nolte character is just as low and dirty and the real villain. People seem to think that more is better, but this has to much explicitness. This is an enjoyable film, but anyone who is too stupid to watch th original and compare them is just missing out on a great piece of cinematic masterpiece!

Ms. V 2012-05-16 12:07:00

A old-time thriller updated VERY well

I truly enjoyed this one. Never before had I seen Robert DeNiro at hiscreepiest. He was indeed truly menacing as well as believable. Great shapehe was in as well as the southern drawl with which he spoke in this one. Asfor the others, I thought Nick Nolte was absolutely strong in this one as aman tormented and driven by his past as well as on-going family problems.Jessica Lange was very strong, so strong to be there for her husband anddaughter as well as be willing and able to stand up to Nick at the sametime. But who surprised me here: Juliette Lewis. Great insight she had attop and finish, as well as a pained tormention from having to endure herparent's constant arguments. Very well-done. Very believable. One thatdrew me in from start-to-finish with the loud, bright musical score whichharkened back to old-time Hollywood thrillers as in days of yore. WithDeNiro's sadisticness, Nolte's torn drivenness, Lange'shardened womanly strengh and Lewis' tormented enduringness, a movie which isone crazy thrill-ride from start to finish. A scored this one highly, 10 of10. To me, the rating should have been 10+. As far as I was concerned, itwas THAT great!

enigma_777_f 2012-05-14 22:54:15

Robert can do no wrong in my eyes

What an awesome movie about an ex convict who mentally tortures the lawyerwho put him away many years ago. Max Cadie had a lot of time to thinkduring his time in the pen but and now that he is out, he commits himself tomaking this lawyer pay. As always, Robert Deniro puts his best effort intomaking Max Cadie's character one that at times during the movie you willlike and at times you won't. This is a must see movie!!

Lee Eisenberg 2012-05-14 07:58:38

Robert DeNiro truly gives this movie its element of fear

To me, it's amazing that there's actually a place in North Carolinacalled Cape Fear, but it provides the perfect setting for this movie.Several years after attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) defended convictedrapist Max Cady (Robert DeNiro), Cady gets out of jail and decides thatBowden didn't do a good job defending him. After Sam and Max meet eachother a few times, Max starts getting crazier and crazier. After hetries to enter Sam's house, Sam and his family go into hiding at CapeFear. Then, the terror really begins.Martin Scorsese brought a unique intensity to movies like "MeanStreets" and "Taxi Driver", but this is something completely different.Whereas his earlier movies simply made you identify with thecharacters, "Cape Fear" makes you both identify with the characters andfind them unpleasant. Not only Max Cady, but also the Bowdens. They arenever the "ideal American family", but Cady's threats against them makethem get progressively nastier in their attitudes towards each otherand to other people.I think that it's safe to say that after watching "Cape Fear", you willnever look at any person the same way again.

2012-05-11 07:49:15

Great movie. Poor packaging.

The movie is great but all the DVD cases I've shaken have plastic rattling around in them. This appears to have been a production problem that no one seems to want to admit. The hinges for the 1st disc are broken, thus the pieces rattling around in them. I say this is a production problem because, after I realized the problem and returning one, I couldn't hear any pieces in the one I decided to take home. Well, mine had broken hinges too but no pieces floating around. Seeing it was sealed, I assume it happened in production. I decided to keep the movie anyway because I like it so much. Hope I can find a replacement case someday. Do you think Universal will replace them all?...

oliviachell 2012-05-10 21:40:41

greasy

Who in their right mind would watch a legendary film like Cape Fear andthink, oh yeh, I like this film, I'm doing nothing this Wednesday,LET'S REMAKE THIS MUTHER!!No. No. No..........No. When you watch theoriginal, what really slaps you in the mouth and spits in your eye is,of course, Mitchum's terrifying performance. He sleazes through themovie with such confidence and threat; a legend. Now, I'm all aboutDeNiro, but Christ, he isn't suited to this role at all. His accent ishilarious, his hair greasy and his attitude too scowly to be takenseriously. The remake, in particular the final scene on the boat, lacksthe subtlety and menace that the original held, DeNiro's mental yellinand hollerin no match for Mitchum's silent smile. I think that bytrying to make the new version as graphic as possible, it became a bitridiculous and I was more inclined to laugh than hide behind the sofa.I can't condemn anyone for liking the new version, especially if theyhaven't seen the original, but c'mon, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

dav07dan02 2012-05-09 03:41:18

max cady once again

Director: Martin Scorsese,Script:Wesley Strick/James R.Webb Cast:Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette LewisThis is a Martin Scorsese remake of Cape Fear from 1962. It is about aconvict who is out of prison after 15 years of incarceration. We arenot talking about a nice man here to say the least. He committedhorrific crimes against women,brutal rapes etc. The convict,MaxCady(played by Robert De Niro), goes after his lawyer(played by NickNolte) for withholding evidence that could have resulted in the chargesbeing dropped. He starts to terrorize his family and eventuallybefriends their daughter.Although a remake, it is not the exact same script. Wesley Strick makesa few changes. I will stop short of saying this is the better film butsome of the changes in the plot are actually an improvement. Forexample, the motivation for Max Cady to terrorize Sam Bowden(his formerlawyer)was because as I stated earlier, he withheld importantinformation that would have kept him from getting convicted. I can'tremember the motivation in the original but I remember it being muchweaker. Secendly, in this remake, Sam Bowden(Nick Nolte) is trulyterrified by this guy whereas Gregory Peck in the original doesn't showthe same level of fear and actually stands up to Max Cady much of thetime. Thirdly, the scenario with the daughter is different. Here wehave the opposite. In the original the daughter(Lori Martin)isterrified of Max Cady while in the remake, the daughter(Juliette Lewis)is distrustful at first but she eventually becomes intrigued by him.That being said, I thing the original had a better overall style. Iactually think the Cape Fear remake to be more like Taxi Driver(another Scorsese/De Niro production)and the original Cape Fear to bemore like Night of the Hunter(also starring Robert Mitchum). RobertMitchum is very creepy as Max Cady (much as he is in Night of theHunter). His style makes him the ultimate bad guy. Robert De Niro isadequate and even creepy at times but as is typical of most of hisacting it is often over the top. The original is one of the last of the"Film Noirs". Its black and white photography works in its favor.

I dont no 2012-05-08 20:12:34

Its not every day a convict comes after you

This movie is the best scary movie of all time. How many times in a movie does a convict come after someone, rape thier daughter, then get their face burned off?

samcapo 2012-05-08 07:37:02

20 minutes too long

I thought this movie was better than the original. The sexual menacewasn't as overt in the original and this added more dimension toeveryones' characters. Scorcese captures the subtleties very well asusual. For example, when Max unstraps himself from the undercarriage ofSam's car, he is dirty from an hour or more on the road. A black womanwitnesses this oddity and Max lets her know he knows SHE knows. Therewas no dialog; just eye contact. She knows something is amiss but thelook Max gives her says to pay no mind and move on. Nothing becomes ofher account. My only problem with this movie is the over-long ending.It was brutal and drawn out. If it had ended 20 minutes earlier Iwould've given this higher marks. But this is my opinion. We knew Maxwas not going to go away. There was no surprise so I think it should'vebeen a quicker, more expedited ending. I also loved the god-smackingMax and sleazy lawyer (played by Peck). Well-done!

2012-05-07 20:07:52

Incredibly Tense

This is a white knuckle ride from beginning to end largely due to the creepy performance of Robert DeNiro as a tatooed bible quoting ex-con who is stalking the family of the attorney who had defended him before he spent 14 years in prison. As Jack Cady DeNiro gives one of his most bizarre performances, as he portrays a man who is both resourceful and obsessed with revenge.The family played by Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis are a bit dysfunctional and Cady zeros in on their weaknesses and vulnerabilities like a bird of prey. All of the cast members are extraordinarily good in their respective roles.The direction of Martin Scorcese creates a building tension from the opening shots through the final scene.I deduct 1 star for the ending which goes a bit over the top and might have benefited from some additional editing but all in all this is a great horror tale of revenge by a psychopathic killer.

dcw-12 2012-05-06 01:16:00

Scorseses expertly crafted essay on hate and violence

The film is beautifully filmed. Its a homage to classic American film,it has a strange sense of time and place like it could almost be the1950's. The sounds that accompany the film add to that classic feel ofthe movie, its always there adding atmosphere to the film like moviesused to do.The film deals with many things though its main themes are class, hate,and violence.Class and power are brought up. The wealthy in the film seem to wieldpower casually over those they view as not of their caste. The lawyeromitted evidence that would have resulted in a dismissal just becausehe 'knew' this rough white guy had to have done the crime. The way hegets favors from his wealthy pals its obvious that if he defendingsomeone of his caste he would have presented the evidence.In fact the ease with which someones life is ruined and the worlddoesn't even pay it an ounce of attention, this is one of the mostterrifying things in the film. The film really shows the impact ofpower unlike any film i've seen.How does someone hate? To many people its some vague notion. To othersits a sin. The 'christian' judge in the film represents this viewpoint,chastising a man who has been abused and hounded by a psychopathbecause he is 'displaying' negative emotions. While he himself hasprobably never experienced any major wrong inflicted on him by another,he has never had to resist hate.De Niros character never tried to resist it, he dove straight into it.14 years in prison breeding and brewing hatred. Thats the films point,this guy is no saint and we have no doubt about that. But the viewerstruggles with his feelings because he knows Noltes character waswrong, and we see how 14 years of prison has twisted De Niro and wehear about what happened to him there. One is forced to think, ifsomeone set me up and got me put in prison would I hate to the pointthat De Niro would?The flip side of this course is how easy Noltes character loses it whenfaced with a similar situation to the abuse De Niro experienced inprison. How easily he breaks rules, how he seems ready to do anythingto get rid of this character. Isn't this also hate? This culminates with the final scene, Noltes character bellowing like awounded animal lifts a giant rock over his head ready to crush De Nirosskull. We are used to the hero coming to his senses and renouncingviolence. Not Nolte, he follows through smashing the rock down where DeNiros head should have been.This is a powerful statement and the finale.The film pulls back the pretense most of us have about ourselves, howwe are more like those 'on the other side of the tracks' than we canimagine. It just maybe that they have had to deal with these issues ofhate, class, and violence and we have not.A great film that allows you to relax into it, its both ugly andbeautiful at the same time. Truly a masterpiece, my highestrecommendation.

2012-05-05 12:20:12

Classic Horror

Robert De Niro's best performance is his terrifying portrayal of vicious psycho Max Cady, hell-bent on vengeance on his lawyer, Sam Bowden (played by Nick Nolte) who didn't defend him as well as he should of during a rape case. De Niro is clearly playing the part with as much relish as possible. His Southern accent, chilling laugh, Biblical tattoos, and the violent actions he brings to screen make him one of the most memorable villains in cinema. Not only that, but he is a believable one too, not too over-the-top. He's insane near the end, yes, but he is realistic. Nick Nolte gives a fairly good performance to Sam Bowden, Jessica Lange is good as Leigh, and Juliette Lewis gives a remarkable performance as Danielle Bowden, the emotionally-tortured teenage daughter of Sam and Leigh. The way the film uses seduction and betrayal as major themes is a key element. Director Martin Scorsese gives this film a classic horror feeling, paying special homage to the 1962 original by having Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, and Martin Balsam (all in the original) play cameo roles in this box-office remake. Not to mention, Scorsese wisely chose the same eerie score from the original film. This is a wonderful film, and it is horrifying. There is some graphic violence that is quite disturbing (particularly the scene in which Cady mutilates a woman in her apartment), but if that doesn't bother you, than you'll love this film. If you enjoy clever, intellectual psychological thrillers with LOTS of suspense, you'll love "Cape Fear".

TheodenLives 2012-05-02 22:03:27

More comedy than horror

Let me say first that I purchased "Goodfellas", because in my opinion,it was a masterpiece. So please don't think that I'm anti-Scorcese, buthis "Cape Fear" has got to be one of the worst re-makes ever, on top ofjust being plain bad. When I watched it, I thought it great thatGregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, and Martin Balsam appeared from theoriginal, but only Mitchum was watchable. These appearances were moregimmicky than homages to the 1962 version. Nick Nolte and Jessica Langeinspired no feelings of concern from me, but I thought Juliette Lewisgave the best performance in this film, as rotten as it was. RobertDeNiro was nothing short of ridiculous all the way through: the accent(laughable), the school scene (long, long, long), his invincibility(what the heck is going on here??) I agree with other reviewers herethat this movie really didn't need to be made; it's a total waste oftime, and an insult to even moderately intelligent film lovers.

2012-05-01 23:53:10

Very scary & an excellent movie

This is one movie that really scared me, it is Robert De Niro at his best, he is such a fine actor & very versatle. I own this one & have seen the original, this is by far the best, even though the other actors were very good. Robert De Niro is my favorite here.