Cape Fear Review

Not the brilliance we've come to expect from Scorsese but a good remake of the 1962 classic. Max Cady (De Niro) is released from prison following a 14 year sentence for the rape of an unnamed woman. During his time within jail Cady, previously illiterate, has studied law. He has discovered that he was betrayed by his lawyer Sam Bowden, (Nolte) after telling his lawyer the truth about the extent of his crimes and plots a gruesome revenge on Bowden and his family. Cady stalks Bowden's capitalising on the families brooding issues before following them to their houseboat getaway, leading to an exhilarating showdown. I personally believe the remake to be a better movie than the original, this in my opinion is mainly down to changes in the plot of the movie. In the 1962 Cape Fear the family are less dysfunctional and less believable as a typical American family making the terror of the situation less realistic. The families flaws within the 1991 remake also make the characters more relatable, therefore you have more sympathy for the agony and humiliation they are being put through, Bowden in particular. I also believe that De Niro's portrayal of Cady was stronger than Mitchum's. His tattooed body as well as frequent biblical quoting made the character seem more demented and psychopathic than the Mitchum's Cady, who was more calm and collected. Juliette Lewis, recently of August: Osage County, was exceptional in a performance that gained an Academy nod for Best Supporting Actress. She effectively incorporates naivety, curiosity and bravery into the movie's most vulnerable character who even shares a kiss with Cady. The camerawork and editing present within the movie were also very strong especially Scorsese's use of jump cuts from middle distance shots to extreme close ups. If you've seen the original than there is no rush to see the 1991 remake, the same applies vice versa. But it is an exciting movie with good acting that keeps the audience engaged throughout without doing anything spectacular.