Rating: 
Summary: Pales in camparison to the original
Review: Even though there are some VERY strong performances here, it doesn't create the tension of the original. Worse, the ending has been changed!! Stick to the original.
Rating: 
Summary: "Every man has to go through hell to reach paradise..."
Review: Very few thrillers stand out like Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear." It's a terrifying ride that frightens us to the very core. It shakes you violently and paints an intense picture of revenge that is taken to a whole different level. This is a dark and brutal film that doesn't let you off easy for a single second. Attorney Sam Bowden appears to have the perfect life upon simple examination. He has a loving wife and daughter, a very nice home, and a pretty successful and providing career. Things take a drastic turn when Max Cady is released from prison after serving a term of fourteen years. Cady was once represented by Bowden and is now looking for a little payback, as he feels that his former attorney didn't do everything he possibly could to keep him out of prison. Now, Sam must realize the present danger that is before him, as not only is his life in absolute danger--but also his family and everybody else he loves and cares for. The stakes have never been higher. This is an absolutely disturbing film that pulls no punches. It's a very uneasy movie to watch, and yet it is so well done that it is hard NOT to watch. Robert De Niro is extremely terrifying as the vengeful "Max Cady" who is out and about, looking to settle the score. This is definitely a signature role for De Niro, as this would be one of his many roles that he will be remembered for most. Nick Nolte also gives a remarkable performance that adds a human quality to his character. The movie is well written and is perfectly executed frame by frame. It plays like a Hitchcock film on ecstasy. Martin Scorsese flawlessly directs this horrifying picture and knows what strings to pull to get a reaction from us. Be warned, this is not a movie for those who have weak stomachs or faint hearts. The DVD does a splendid job when it comes to doing the movie the justice that it deserves. The picture quality is great--it is such a relief that I don't have to deal with the terrible laserdisc version that had the most horrendous picture quality. The sound quality is also great, and you even get the chance to watch it in DTS, if your system carries it. There are some cool extras for DVD fanatics, with extras like featurettes, deleted scenes, production notes, a theatrical trailer and more. Surely, there will be some who will want more for a film of this caliber, but the overall presentation is more than satisfactory. "Cape Fear" is a relentless thriller that is terrifying and suspenseful. The movie has an excellent cast, a great script, and an extremely talented director behind it all. Again, the movie is very intense and isn't recommended for those who have weak hearts and don't like scenes with graphic and disturbing violence. This is definitely a classic that will always be around in the fine world of cinema. -Michael Crane
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good...
Review: Pretty good DVD/movie...its a little boring at the beginning but it gets better.
Rating:
Summary: robert
Review: Robert Deniro was fabulous in this film. He was really believable as a killer and he nailed that southern accent. The movie was scary but not that scary. My favorite part in the movie he when he hides under the car. Pure Genius!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting remake.
Review: I hadn't seen the original 'Cape Fear' but after watching this I've become a lot more interested in seeking it out, just to see the stylistic and indeed the moral differences between 1962 and 1991. I'm sure the original wasn't as violent as this one. Another tour-de-force for Robert DeNiro, who I believe spent 3 months working out just to build up all that muscle (shades of Raging Bull). Although I think in terms of acting ability Nick Nolte steals the show. As a lawyer caught between the moral relativity of his career and as an everyday man susceptable to the whims of his desire, Nolte portarys all of Sam's uncertainty and inner conflict with an earnest rage. Paradoxically it is DeNiro who remains for most of the movie relaxed and underwhelmed by most of the events and people he encounters. For instance in the theatre scene with Juliette Lewis. DeNiro performs a subtle piece of seduction, playing on the petty prejudices she has against her parents. He acts as the devil nestling on her shoulder, pretending he can empatise with all her hang-ups and frustrations. The performances in this straight forward thriller are really what sets 'Cape Fear' apart from other films within this genre. Martin Scorsese is known more for character-driven films rather than plot-driven ones. This particular film was commissioned in part by Universal studios and in part by Steven Spielberg. Scorsese only really did it to get the money for the 'Age Of Innocence'.
Rating:
Summary: Scorcese does Pulp!
Review: In a different turn, Scorcese turns from the art films he's known for, and dives straight into a commercial film, but told in a wonderfully lurid tradition straight out of the crime pulps, and comes up a winner! Visually stylish, and characters that are more nuanced that the original movie(especially the family), and therefore more in the noir character tradition.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, uptight reviewers
Review: This is a great film. The plot is great, the acting is amazing, and it's never boring. The ending is not a major twist, they go on the boat, he flips out, and then eventually he dies, pretty predictable. What was so much better about the ending to the original? The remake surpasses the original, it shows the stupidity of the prison system, sending bad people in and making them worse, and shows the ugliness of revenge. If you cant handle it, don't watch it, but don't give a classic film only 4 stars because violence in movies bothers you.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling!...
Review: Robert DeNiro gives an outstanding performance as an ex-convict who is released and is on the hunt for the lawyer who convicted him, and in the process, he wreaks havoc wherever he goes. Of interesting note is a rather chilling scene in a bar when DeNiro's character strikes up an acquaintance with a girl who jokes around with him, and as the laughter heats, DeNiro chuckles that he just got out of jail (laughter), and that he did time for rape (more laughter). Of course the girl doesn't take him seriously until she becomes his next victim, and it's on to look for the lawyer (Nolte). All in all, this has to be one of the most profoundly disturbing movies I've ever seen, and I've been in the criminal justice area for over 20 years. The mere mention of the movie causes me to twinge, and although I don't know what DeNiro had to do to research this role, but he's highly believable in the role. There are some ... suggestive scenes, and the language is a little crude in spots, but I suggest caution in viewing, and in particular, that the young ones don't get an eyeful of this one. It's brutal in its depiction, and it's cautiously recommended - for the strong of heart.
Rating:
Summary: Some movies should not be remade........
Review: Martin Scorsese remade a very good movie and made it into a dark, ugly film. They say this was just an updated version of the original but to think that every person in this movie is not just flawed but so unlikeable that you really don't care if they make it or not.
Nick Nolte play's Sam Bowden a lawyer who is cheating on his wife and seems to care nothing for his family. Jessica Lang is Bowdens wife. You really never get the feeling that her and Nolte really care for each other even if they are married. Julliette Lewis plays the daughter. She is so annoying and whinny that she is impossable to care for. Finally Robert DeNiro takes over for Robert Mitchum as the ex-con Max Cady.
After being released from prison Cady seeks out Bowden becouse he blames him for his loosig his case for him by hiding documents that could have swayed a jury.
Unlike the first movie where Cady's return seems very scary
becouse the man who testified agianst him (Bowden) just did what we all would like to think we would. This time you actually feel for Cady, and for this I think that Scorsese made his biggest mistake.
Sam Bowden is really unlikeable as is his wife and tramp of a daughter. Nolte's Bowden is a far cry from the reseved Peck.
Robert DeNiro grabbed an oscar nommination for his role as Max Cady but his Cady is so crazy and out of control at time's that you never get the feeling that he is the same person and for that I found it very hard to believe him in the role. Mitchum was so menicing in the original role that I think DeNiro felt that he had to take the charactor in a differnt direction, it just didn't work.
You would rather be defended by Gregory Peck Than Nick Nolte, and you would rather have DeNiro casing after you than Mitchum.
In closing this was not a very good film. It took one of the best elements from the first one, implied violence, and showed you just how mean Cady could be, and as we all know nothing we see can compare to what we think is happening. P.S. Robert Mitchums Max Cady would beat the living hell out of Deniro's.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling, Suspenseful, A Masterpiece!
Review: Martin Scorsese is a brilliant director! He took the original masterpiece of revenge and suspense and updated it. In this more intense and graphically violent 90s version, cigar smoking, Southern ex-con, Max Cady, sets out to slowly destroy his former attorney, Sam Bowden. Fourteen years ago, Sam was Cady's lawyer, defending him on the crime of rape. Sam saw what Max had done to this girl, and so, when a report came in that the girl was promiscuous, Sam buried it. The report would have lightened Max's sentence, but instead he was sent to prison for an elongated stretch. Now Max is back for vengeance. His body is a human weapon, with huge muscles and extensive tattooing. The tattoos illustrate his interest in the Bible, especially the gigantic Crucifix on his back. Max Cady sees that the Bowden family is dysfunctional, so, before completly destroying Sam, he wants to have some fun with the family. In a particularly inspirational scene, he seduces Sam's daughter, Danielle. The showdown on Cape Fear River is much more scary and thrilling than the one in the original. Robert De Niro does a superb job as Max Cady, Juliette Lewis does wonderfully as Danielle, and Joe Don Baker is great as Kersek. Robert Mitchum is a good cameo, and so is Gregory Peck. Nick Nolte is pretty good too. He's pretty believable. Jessica Lange seemed to overdo it just a little, but she still did pretty good. This is a totally different thing than the original, and both are equal in greatness. I recommend this movie for thriller/horror fans, but I also strongly precaution younger children not to watch this. And, for those with a really weak stomach, don't watch this right after or before you have eaten. Great movie! The extra features on the DVD are great. The Photograph Montage features clips of Robert De Niro's Max Cady, the Cast of Cape Fear, and photos of Martin Scorsese directing Cape Fear. The Making of Cape Fear is insightful for those who wish to be in the movie business, and it features interviews with De Niro, Lewis, Lange, Scorsese, Peck, and Nolte. An especially interesting element of the making tells how Robert De Niro got pumped up for the part. The theatrical trailer is probably the best movie trailer I've scene. It starts out with picturesque beauty and lovely music, then quickly transforms into the thrills. The DVD is wonderful, and the movie is inspirational.
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