|
| Cape Fear (Remake) |
|
  (7/10)
|
Runtime: 128 |
| Public Rating: 8.96 (49 votes) |
Director: Martin Scorsese |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Suspense |
Year: 1991 |
| Writer(s): John D. McDonald, James R. Webb, Wesley Strick |
| Distributor: 1 |
| Reviewed by: Timotei Centea |
| |
Remakes are not often welcome, and with good reason. Films like Gus Van Sant's Psycho and Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes teach us that it's best not to mess around with a bona fide classic. However, some remakes are worth the effort in spite of their flaws, as Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of the 1962 film Cape Fear shows us.
This intense suspense story follows a newly released rape convict named Max Cady as he exacts a cruel revenge on Sam Bowden, his lawyer at the time of his trial. Until now, the film follows the exact script as the 1962 version, but here is where the differences start. As in all Scorsese movies, there are no perfect characters, no all-around good guys. In contrast to the 1962 film's spotless Sam Bowden, the remake's Bowden is a flawed mean, guilty of adultery and, most importantly, of disobeying the Justice System Ethical code. You see, when Bowden was defending Cady, he was certain that Cady had perpetrated the terrible crime, and thus he buried evidence which could have saved him in order to make sure he was convicted. And he was: he got a conviction for 14 years. However, while he was in prison, Cady discovered this, and planned his revenge. Also of importance in the story are Bowden's wife, Leigh, a woman tormented by suspicions about her husband's infidelity, and Dannielle, his daughter, a naive teen not always careful or intelligent. Needless to say, the script is interesting enough, and nuanced enough to escape the good-guy versus bad-guy conflicts that plague so many thrillers nowadays.
The acting is also spot-on for all involved. Robert De Niro gives one of his most riveting performances ever as the psychopath Max Cady, and creates a character that's genuinely disturbing and creepy. Nick Nolte is great, as always, as Sam Bowden, and Jessica Lange is great as Leigh. But top honors also go to Juliette Lewis, who gives a riveting performance as the naive and influencable Danielle. And in addition to these performances, it's great to watch cameos by the two actors who played Bowden and Cady in the 1962 version: Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum.
The directing is great too, and it's vintage Scorsese. Beautiful cinematography, great camerawork, and riveting visual effects are his trademarks, and he doesn't dissapoint. In fact, in an homage to 1950's thrillers, he uses fast zooms on the face in abundance, and, in order to enhance the feeling of claustrophibia that's increasing throughout the film, his shots get closer and closer as the suspense heightens. Finally, mention must also be made of the soundtrack, which has many ressemblances to the Hitchcock soundtracks: nervous strings, loud volumes in the suspense scenes... As you can see, Scorsese's film is in many ways an homage to the thrillers of heyday.
However, it's not a perfect film, for the simple reason that it isn't as suspenseful or as riveting as other films by Scorsese. It's not a stop forward for him (nor a step backward...). I would have expected more suspense, more riveting scenes where my heart would stop beating and I would quiver with anticipation. However, these are not here, not in abundance anyways.
But, while these flaws detract from the overall quality of Cape Fear, they do not detroy the film, not by far. It's still a very enjoyable suspense film, and if you're a fan of the particular genre, it should not be missed.
|
 Printable Version
|
Do you agree/disagree with this review of Cape Fear (Remake)? Let your opinions be heard in our forum.
|
Buy the Poster of Cape Fear (Remake) (Click Here)
|
|
|
|
