Cape Fear

It speaks volumes for Scorsese's reputation that a disappointing film for him is still worth a good 7 out of 10.

When it comes down to it, this 1991 version is so much more watchable and enjoyable than the first. Perhaps the new version's morally-complex screenplay and dynamic cinematography highlight the fact that the old Cape Fear is a bit static and, well, dull.

That's not to say the new version is perfect. The afore-mentioned cinematography, while unsettling at first (especially DeNiro virtually walking through the camera), eventually grates. Why do we need to see extreme close-ups and dramatic zooms of locks being closed?

In fact, it is bizarre that the parts of the film not set in Cape Fear are by far the best, what with the genuinely weird death of the private investigator and the 'I don't whether to look at him or read him' line from Robert Mitchum. It is in the final twenty minutes that the viewer is left numbed and ultimately tired at the 'kill the b**tard!' histronics the film endlessly subjects us to.

Despite all this, the ultimate compliment is perhaps that The Simpsons chose to parody this version rather than the 1962 version!