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Idiot-Deluxe First off, this is without doubt, one of the finest remakes ever and a true rarity in a movie market, that is utterly rife and over-flowing with many, many, remakes - of which most are terrible.Compared to the original film nearly 30 years earlier Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear is quite brilliant and vastly more entertaining then the somewhat underwhelming and ploddingly-paced original. In this 1991 remake of the film you'll notice that it's principle characters are far more lively then they were before, especially so with the character of Max Cady, who is -brilliantly- portrayed by Robert De Niro. De Niro infuses the role with an incredible level of energy, which is further flavored as one tends to find their self constantly down-wind from the unmistakably foul and odious air of that of Max Cady. An ex-con whose utterly evil to the core, who seems to effortlessly project a certain diabolic charisma and his character oozes of repugnance and pure unrepentant evil. In other words, Bob's just smarmy as hell in this movie and he's simply a blast to watch in virtually every scene. On a visual level, I find that due to all his cryptic tattoo's and unruly hair, that frequently alternates from wild to greasy, De Niro's physical appearance is far more menacing/convincing then the image Robert Mitchum projected with his take on Max Cady; which I found to be dull and profoundly mundane. Though at the same time one could say Mitchum did a better job at blending into society then De Niro's louder, flashier and more violent take on the character and that's something that plays a big role as to why I find this remake to be some much more entertaining. De Niro starkly stands out in his surroundings, from all that is wholesome and he very much so comes across as the oily and odious opportunistic bastard that he is; a recently paroled ex-con, always on the prowl, plotting and carrying out his multiple stages of revenge. Max is fully intent on taking his time with Sam and his wife Leigh and his daughter Danielle (and the family dog), tormenting them for several day's and night's, which, not surprisingly, causes lot's of friction and turmoil within the Bowden household; especially between husband and wife - as poor Sam has to sleep on the couch at least once.To my perception the cast in this film exude a lot more energy and create far more vivid characters, compared to the cast of the original film, which, to my senses, never seems to get too exciting at any point and ends abruptly in an astonishingly lame and anti-climatic finale. Those glaring faults have since been rectified with this new take on the tale and when it comes time to wrap things up, the ending's of these two films contrast immensely in their intensity; as Scorsese staged an exhilarating finale over troubled waters, one that comes loaded with many a desperate moment (and tingling nerves), as well as a completely vindictive and over-the-top De Niro, whose sole, revenge-driven, motive is to inflict retribution on Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) and his family. The electrifying finale of this film is quite literally a, wet, wild, bumpy, thunderous, fiery and above all else LOUD ride; as De Niro (in what is surely the most animated moment of his career) holds court right there and then, intent on trying the Bowden's, at gun-point, in a sort of self-styled and provocative brand of perverted justice. As Max Kady, De Niro takes on the role of judge, jury and executioner, who is by then disfigured by fire and at his most depraved, boiling with revenge, he launches into a furious diatribe that's studded with legal questions, proclamation's of justice and Bible scripture, all while ranting at the top of his lungs - practically foaming at the mouth. But before the Bowden's sentencing can be carried out, a bend in the river throw's Kady a curve-ball, which, ever so rudely, interrupt's his trial and a spectacular storm of wet n' wild visuals sweep across the screen; involving rotating camera-work, some utterly artful film-editing and to me what looks like reverse film-footage. Scorsese pulled-off this striking sequence is ever so slyly and slippery, it's really quite a marvel of film-making and a thing of great beauty, which in stark contrast to the first film, ends the movie in a most exciting and satisfying way.In hindsight, there's one thing I'll always be convinced of and that is, that had it not been for Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lector, De Niro would have definitely taken home an Oscar for best actor..... that being said, I find The Silence of the Lambs to be a better movie anyway.

Tom Czech Going into this film, I had very high expectations. Starring Robert DeNiro, Jessica Lange, and Nick Nolte, visions of intense sequences and perfected cinematic segments danced in my head. Much to my disappointment, I was instead met with awkward dialogue that was poorly recorded and a climax that was further over the top than a Michael Bay action shot. In summation, this film follows small-town lawyer Sam Bowden (Nolte), stalked by ex-con Max Cady (DeNiro) who served 14 years for rape due to Bowden's dereliction to acquire him a lesser sentence. Not surprisingly, Cady unleashes his wrath, liberating his pent up rage by threatening the Bowden family in addition to preying on Sam's teenage daughter and other significant women in Sam's life. Minus some slightly awkward dialect, I did enjoy the first half of the film. It kept me enthralled and built suspense similar to that of John Boorman's "Deliverance," which isn't necessarily a compliment, considering Boorman's masterpiece was released in 1971, whereas Scorsese's was in '91. Nonetheless, some of my personal favorites are 70's movies, however THOSE movies actually capitalized on the tension they built, while "Cape Fear" only fell short. Many times, the film dragged me into its thickening plot, only to throw away what tension they'd built with unnecessarily graphic violence or ridiculous conflict successions that did not add to the plot or even remotely make sense. Furthermore, the production value of this film seemed to be particularly low, especially for a Scorsese film starring DeNiro, among other big-name stars, even though its budget was 10 million dollars higher than my personal favorite Scorsese: "Goodfellas." To further remove value from the film, the effects were horrid. Colorful swirls and X-Ray camera filters dominated some of the intense scenes from the first half of the movie, taking away moments that could have been apprehensive or even frightening. These effects looked similar to those of Apple's built in "photo booth" app; cheap and easy to create. I do understand that this is a 90's movie, but in my opinion, that only strengthens my point. An experienced, accomplished director such as Scorsese should have been able to pinpoint what he could do effectively, special effects not included. I will give credit to a deep depth of field used in the film to give it more of an indie feel, creating an unsettling, disturbing aura. Unfortunately, this aura was put to waste through violent scenes that surpassed the savagery of other Scorsese films such as Goodfellas, a feat I did not consider to be possible. Something I very much appreciate about most Scorsese films has repeatedly been his ability to highlight the sadistic nature of the world's criminals, however he went overboard in "Cape Fear." There comes a point that even the heaviest of crime-drama fans cannot bear to watch. I hadn't experienced that until I saw this film. Now that I have bashed it enough, I will end on a good note from this movie. DeNiro was brilliant, as always. A perfect embodiment of the southern rapist that his character was, DeNiro depicted an interestingly mixed character that was filled with ruthlessness, maniacal tendencies, and surprising charm. While Jessica Lange played the same, tedious character she perpetually plays, DeNiro again knocked his role out of the park. Final decision: 3/10.

vincentlynch-moonoi SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It's natural to want co compare remakes to original films. And for some reason, there seems to be even more of a desire to do so with the two "Cape Fear" films. By pure coincidence, I happened to watch the original on cable (I don't believe I had ever seen it), and just 2 weeks later the 1991 version was on cable.I have always had a great deal of respect for the body of work of Gregory Peck. And while I don't think that Nick Nolte's body of work compares, this film was in what I consider to be Nolte's most productive period. With Robert Mitchum, I didn't always like the roles he chose, but he, too, had many admirable performances. Robert DeNiro was not a favorite of mine in his early years, by the time this film was made, I was really beginning to respect his work. So, my comparison has little to do with whether or not I like the lead actors, I like them all. But then there is Polly Bergen, not a favorite of mine, though I also didn't dislike her performances. In 1991 it was Jessica Lange, also not one of my favorites.But let's get the point -- I strongly preferred the 1962 film. And here's why (not in any particular order):1. I liked the feel of the old South in the 1962 film, which is virtually absent in most of the 1991 film. 2. I admired the restraint and subtlety with which Robert Mitchum approached his role in the original, far more than the over-the-top nature of Robert DeNiro's performance (which is unusual for DeNiro). 3. Gregory Peck was the pillar of virtue in the first film, all the better to draw a distinct line between him and Mitchum. But Nolte is a compromised (though successful) lawyer. The line is blurred. 4. The rape scene in the original was tragic, but eating part of a woman's face is way too far over the top in the later film. 5. The wife in the latter film is emotionally damaged to the point where the viewer feels little sympathy for her. 6. Even the daughter in the later film gets no sympathy here...she's too far along in her sexuality, where the daughter in the early film was almost prepubescent, in practice, if not physicality. 7. The one thing that the newer film has in its favor is a very strong performance by Nick Nolte. It's not better than the Gregory Peck performance, but it is Nolte at his peak before the long slide. 8. The Cape Fear island locale of the ending of the first film was far more spooky than the family house in the second film. 9. It was nice seeing Gregory Peck (this time as a bad guy), Robert Mitchum (this time as a good guy), and Martin Balsam in supporting roles here. But Mitchum and Peck are in roles that just don't fit them. 10. In the first film, there was building suspense throughout the film. Here, the real suspense only comes toward the end of the film. 11. In the original film, violence was used as needed. Here the violence is excessive and over-the-top in order to thrill the audience. 12. The husband and wife sliding around in the blood in this film was simply childish excess. 13. The final insult to our intelligence in this film is that the family all lived despite the violent storm where the boat was destroyed and sank. Trash. Just trash.The original -- Robert Mitchum's masterpiece, This remake -- just tawdry excess. And my respect for everyone connected with it is just a little less after seeing it again after all these years.