Cape Fear (1991)

Stars	User	Rating
4	Alex Watkins	4 _70th
It's fun to see De Niro chew up as much scenery as he does here; he goes entirely over the top, and, like Al Pacino in Scarface, it works amazingly well. However, the movie, while decent, is otherwise unremarkable. Scorsese makes it a good watch, and recycles his own recurring theme of guilt effectively enough, but it's nothing that rises above the pack.
4	Paxton	78 _83rd
After this masterclass in terrifying presence it's no small miracle that Robert De Niro would go on to become the romantic lead in...nevermind.
4	Jasongirl67	100 _94th
Honestly you can't go wrong with either film they are equally good I just think the newer version has a slight advantage with filming techniques and a slightly better dialogue
3	frederic_g54	6 _35th
Sideshow Bob
3	hellboy76	67 _58th
DeNiro is absolutely creepy, and one of the few roles Lewis is effective in. I am not a big fan of Nick Nolte but he is tolerable and sometimes even good in his "pushed over the edge" role. All in all an effective thriller.
2	Kavu	49 _25th
Feels like an unnecessary remake. Scorsese and De Niro excel but Nolte, Lange and the script are quite bad.
2	Nathan S	4 _74th
It's tongue-in-cheek trashy, in the same vein that Shutter Island later would be, deferential to old genre pulp and told in almost ridiculous gestures, with Nolte and De Niro oddly mismatched. The material is elevated with several meaningful wrinkles stitched into the original script's vanilla schemes, most notably the Bowden family's discord and Max Cady's self-identification as a biblical avenger, bringing this version closer in line to, say, The Night of the Hunter.
2	TedDedon	70 _41st
De Niro is really good in this movie, but it's just less impressive than the original outside of his performance in every way. Mostly just a decent thriller.
2	BillyShears	75 _65th
DeNiro looking at Juliette Lewis and then the son and then back at Juliette Lewis and he starts to burn himself with his cigar.
1	svicciarelli	90 _82nd
Thrilling remake stamped with Scorcese's unmistakable style.
1	AgentSnipe	84 _84th
It's not Scorcese's best work. It's fairly mediocre. It's a remake and it feels very familiar. There are a few neat twists and turns, but the real exceptional thing about the movie is Robert DeNiro. Almost all of his scenes leave a lasting impression. Supposedly, DeNiro's scene in the empty theater with Juliette Lewis was improvised and done in one take. If that is true... WOW.
1	djross	76 _86th
Made for commercial reasons but very enjoyable. Nick Nolte is at his finest when playing weak characters, as is the case here and in LIFE LESSONS, Scorsese's excellent contribution to NEW YORK STORIES. Although it is a conventional genre film, the themes are explored very well, and the Scorsesian shooting and editing style works very nicely. Structurally this film bears some notable similarities with PSYCHO. The whole cast is very good.
1	irvinejump	70 _61st
Robert de Niro shines in this (and reportedly deliberately chipped a tooth for the role, only to spend $25,000 having it replaced)
1	Pickpocket	7 _68th
Both versions have something to love and I can't decide which one I like more. De Niro carries the movie, his performance is so over the top and enjoyable. The soundtrack is pretty sweet too. Some odd directorial choices but it works most of the time. Never boring and another solid movie into Scorsese's catalog.
1	easydiff	77 _84th
What a great thriller. Period.
1	Booster	70 _67th
Good, but oddly weak effort from Scorsese.
1	bowfinger	88 _91st
i saw this again just recently, and despite the 20 years gone by, i cant believe how de niro is still unbelievably disturbing in this picture, amazing.
1	Shmendrek	3 _61st
A rather toothless entry in Scorsese's oeuvre. De Niro is its saving grace, and his performance carries the film to its bitter, waterlogged end.
1	zombiezeus	90 _88th
For my money, one of Scorcese's best--it winds up tighter than a spring and lets loose in a sweaty, thrilling, over-the-top storm of an ending.
1	Vandelay1	73 _83rd
good movie
1	Neonman	70 _38th
Another movie ruined (and improved) by The Simpsons. It's quite the stylish affair, I think Scorsese got back into coke during the early '90s, and as impressive as the technical aspects may be, they do also negate a deeper sense going on here. This is a very well made afternoon flick that could've had more resonating power than it aspires at, but it's quite the effective, rather dePalma-esque thriller. Wish it did more than just end, though.
1	cult_of_same	65 _79th
I always look under my car.
1	Anselmi86	70 _51st
Robert De Niro's stellar performance and Scorsese's ode to Hitchcockian style save this from being a below-average thriller.
1	thegreyfox	55 _25th
This was a stylish, well acted, well cast film with good performances, especially from Lewis and Nolte, but the film fails miserably by serving up a plot that was frankly ludicrous, with DeNiro able to walk through walls (apparently) and follow people anywhere, and the cast killed by cliche ... pretty teenager untouched, downtrodded wife fights back, unfaithful husband beaten up, slutty girl raped, nasty PI killed, pointless nanny, killed etc etc ... this was the kings new clothes of celluloid.
1	CMonster	80 _69th
What a fun little film, check it out!
1	mattorama12	54 _22nd
A rare miss in the Scorsese catalog. The direction seems amateur, which is weird coming from the genius that made Goodfellas just one year earlier. Overall, the movie just feels too cheesy. De Niro's performance is fun more than scary or creepy which was just too incongruous with the completely serious tone of everything else. (That could very well entirely because I watched this through the eyes of one way too familiar with the Simpsons Cape Fear parody episode.)
1	hsncrspywl	79 _64th
Overlong, but not overstuffed. De Nrio is fantastic with that greasy southern accent, and Juliette Lewis walks a tightrope between innocence and temptation very well. I found it hard to believe Nick Nolte though - I just can't see him as squeaky clean but it sorta adds a level of moral ambiguity to the whole thing. Aside from the cast, the film has a great look and sound design - the whole thing feels sticky with humidity and tension. The score is as bombastic as the camerawork.
1	philamental	69 _55th
An effectively creepy and tense film, with De Niro's performance as the two steps ahead antagonist being the primary reason. I have to admit that a lot of the power of the film has been lost due to the genius of the 'Cape Feare' Simpsons parody episode. In simple terms this film is far less scary when you are smirking through memorable scenes and wishing with all your heart that this time De Niro would step on a rake.

Average Percentile 54.56% from 4943 Ratings