Amazon.com Essentials:
Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of J. Lee Thompson's 1962
thriller dabbles a bit in some fascinating psychological
crosscurrents between its characters, but it finally trades in all
that rich material for extensive and gratuitous violence. Robert De
Niro plays a serial rapist released from prison after 14 years. Angry
because his appalled attorney (Nick Nolte) made it easy for him to be
convicted, this monster is out to hurt Nolte's character through his
wife (Jessica Lange) and daughter (Juliette Lewis). The themes of
interlocking guilt and anger between these people suggests a smart
film in the making. But the final act, set on a boat with De Niro's
vengeful pervert attacking Nolte and the two women, takes a more
unfortunate direction. Stick with the original (which starred Robert
Mitchum and Gregory Peck, each of whom make a cameo appearance in this
film). --Tom Keogh
