Cape Fear (1991)

A pretty good horror with definite influences from Hitchcock.

De Niro’s still got that magic fire in his eyes, but you can tell he’s starting to get old. His face has become a mass of tendons and wrinkles. No more baby fat. He’s creepy and intense and mentally strong, like Hannibal Lecter. Cape Fear and Silence of the Lambs both came out in 1991, so maybe that was the trendy villain for the period. Dressed up like a maid, De Niro looks remarkably like Norman Bates, perhaps another homage to Hitchcock. Lange is hot for an old woman. Lewis is exceptional with the mature material. Nice performances by all.

You almost never see a married couple having sex in the movies, but in this film, you do. Nice Apocalypse Now shot of a crazy man’s violent eyes peeking out of the surface of the water. Cheesy Spielbergian meteor streak. Lots of moving camera, maybe a bit too much.