Director: Martin Scorsese Year: 1991 Country: U.S. Gender: Thriller / Horror
Score: 08/10 Cast: Robert De Niro, Jessica Lange, Nick Nolte, Juliette Lewis, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Joe Don Baker, Illeana Douglas, Fred Dalton Thompson and Martin Balsam
Max Cady (Robert De Niro), an ex-con just out in prison after fourteen years' imprisonment, which was looking to his lawyer, Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), in revenge, believing that no effort enough in his defense. Cady has no better idea that pressure on the family of Sam, over time this will become more intense and dangerous. Filming of "
Goodfellas" (1990), Scorsese was given the chance an ambitious film project that had passed through the hands of Steven Spielberg on a novel by Thomas Keneally entitled "Schindler's Ark". Also, Spielberg planned to shoot a commercial in a few months remake of "Cape Fear" (1962). Scorsese felt the project at hand it was very dear to his friend Spielberg, and resigned to it, proposing an exchange of projects. As we all know, "Schindler's List" (1993) gave the King Midas of Hollywood his first Oscar as a director and a host of critical congratulations. A while back, Scorsese premiered this new order, the last before stringing a trilogy of projects personal. The film does not let a moment's respite, it is intriguing to the utmost, has suspense, a great soundtrack that makes the hair stand on end and makes us afraid even of a superb Max Cady (which I think could be better), a man who stops at nothing to no one.
From the very aged loose film J. Lee Thompson shot to the early 60s, Scorsese came up with his "Cape Fear" a much more abstract and interesting, however, must be placed well below, in inspiration and execution, with respect to films that surrounding the earlier and later. This tale of revenge and angst, originally based on a novel by John D. MacDonald, could have walked off the incomparable "
Taxi Driver" (1976) in what is a portrait of an unhealthy obsession by so extreme a character, played well by the same actor. But it is a brilliant exercise in style, made with extraordinary skill of a director as experienced and dazzling as Scorsese, delivered now completely over hyped thriller genre. But you miss the tone at times (sure because until then had not filmed a thriller), we see that escapes the character of Cady and the final spirit of the film. But we are talking about a remarkable film traces. Without being a great admirer of this film, Scorsese's intention was to make one trip aesthetic and temporal, which recover some of the essence of a movie and gone, mixed with a modern look, in a sort of formal balance. Not everything goes well the director in this effort.
The sensational claims of the legendary Elaine and Saul Bass (who would design the opening sequences of four consecutive films director), together to music by Elmer Bernstein, version of the score of the first film, then the work of the late Bernard Herrmann, seek to place ourselves in a certain spirit "Hitchcockian" when we access without too much effort, always depending on the degree of cinephilia the viewer. Despite all this will never feel as comfortable as it was Scorsese Hitchcock's masterpieces, it is perceived precepts adhered to a partially diluted his artistic personality. In this film work with the gorgeous photography of Freddie Francis, one of the most legendary traders of the second half of the twentieth century and himself director of horror films, and production design Henry Bumstead, not in vain, artistic director of the master "Vertigo" (1958). Now the papers are talking about the lawyer Sam Bowden, played by Nick Nolte correctly, who has worked for just before Scorsese in "Life Lessons
, Max Cady, shows some great moments, sometimes unbearable, Robert De Niro plays a pseudo Joker in Batman, you can do anything, whenever and wherever you like, but despite that is a very laudable. It is worth mentioning the roles of Sam's wife, designer Leigh Bowden, who sang with great elegance by the great Jessica Lange, and her daughter Danielle characterized by a young, sensual and formidable Juliette Lewis, in his first major film role.
In "Cape Fear" switches so great with the common, surely, to a wild final climax that connects visually and thematically with the opening credits, and proposes an amazing journey through the hell of guilt, hatred and repressed sexuality. The main problem, among many, of the fierce narrative is that history begins as a lawyer who did his duty, but ends up being the story of a nearly immortal subject with which it is impossible to identify. The drama of Sam Bowden is not the central concern Scorsese and screenwriter Wesley Strick, and everything ends up blurring, when he could have become a powerful criminal tragedy by running a reflection of the bourgeoisie and the traditional family on the vagaries of a complex marriage with a daughter difficult. All this is more or less exposed, but overshadowed by the need to amaze and shock the viewer with the tricks and juggling a tattooed psychopath reminiscent of Robert Mitchum in "Night of the Hunter" (1955). A Robert Mitchum, ironically, he played Cady in the first version, and as Gregory Peck, who played the lawyer in that, appearances to make tracks as a tribute Scorsese's film.
What you can not deny are some Italian-American director and master sequences: The diabolical dialogue, full of ulterior motives and double meanings, and Danielle Cady in the theater of the institute, employee as a metaphor about the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood, and ends with an erotic game extremely disturbing; The sex scene of Sam and Leigh, in the wake of her back between successive fades to yellow, orange and red, they anticipate Cady's discovery in the fence surrounding the house, the long sequence of tension in the house with the detective (Joe Don Baker) awaiting the arrival of Cady, but finished so frivolous and little achieved and the final climax powerful, somewhat elongated, Cape Fear (region and North Carolina coast), with some really hypnotic and water levels with the disturbing conclusion in the river. The film has many shades, criticizing the legal system and people who skip the system and therefore suffer the consequences of not acting in accordance with the laws, the act of an attorney who tried his client did not properly represent and another thing that goes unnoticed just as devastating: The fact that a lawyer take advantage of the ignorance of their customers to disappoint the trust. All these elements come together resulting in a well-made thriller but it lacks the style that has always characterized the maestro Scorsese.
But Cady is light years ahead of Travis Bickle or other psychopaths close in chronology as Hannibal Lecter. In some sequences is a fascinating villain and bully other is a rough and interest without providing easy scares the viewer. Is not credible, and the strong characterization of Robert De Niro does not always work as he wanted. His timely costume woman, spent his plane while talking to Danielle or his alleged immateriality rather blurred his presence, and ends up being a bad operetta, in one of the many "psycho-killers" who provided the cinema during the eighties and nineties. At his side, Nick Nolte performs one of his least remembered and most brilliant compositions, but always in the background. Film with great moments, and others that detract from the author of "
Raging Bull" (1980). It was his biggest commercial success to date, so the effort was not entirely a waste of time, even that can not be considered among his greatest masterpieces. It seems incredible that the same director of the superb adaptation of Edith Wharton that it would take two years later and marks the beginning of its absolute fulfillment as an artist. Despite some flaws that not one of the best works of its director, "Cape Fear" is a film to enjoy, the kind that keep you up to the end in the seat and constantly want to know what will happen. Recommended.
"Scorsese entering the world of thriller and horror"
