CAPE FEAR - Scorsese's Take on a Classic
Whereas the the lines between good & evil were divided pretty matter-of-factly in the 1960s version starring Gregory Peck and Robert Michum, the new updated and electrically charged CAPE FEAR by Martin Scorsese, the division is pretty blurred. Nick Nolte plays the lawyer who lapsed in his defense duties which sent Robert De Niro's psychopathic character to prison for over 20 years. When he gets out, naturally he pays a visit to him and his family. To say De Niro makes life rough for the trio would be understaing immensely. What follows is a high voltage game of cat and mouse with some superbly crafted suspense scenes integrated among the more graphically harrowing ones. Jessica Lange taps some raw, primal rage as Juliette Lewis is pre-teeen nymphoas she plays fondly with De Niro's thumb in a memorably disturbing scene. Incredible camera work throughout and Elmer Berstein's thumping score from the predecessor is revisited to great effect. Climax is outstanding in the title waterway!