Cape Fear (1991)

Ferguson considers the film highly effective despite its over-the-top performance from De Niro. He singles out Scorsese’s portrayal of the lawyer’s family as the film’s strength.

Newman calls it a damn good horror picture, despite its shift from subtle suspense to an over-the-top finale. He praises the lead performances and the first hour’s quietly scary logic.

Variety calls the remake smart, stylish, and sharply written, with Scorsese’s forceful direction driving its disturbing material. It especially praises Robert De Niro’s memorable performance and Juliette Lewis’s portrayal of the troubled teen.

The review is positive about Scorsese’s remake as an effective thriller. It singles out Robert De Niro’s menacing performance.

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The review is skeptical, suggesting the remake falls short of Scorsese’s talents. It acknowledges the film’s technical bravura but sees that craft as unable to overcome its limitations.

Turan finds the film expertly made but troublingly sadistic, questioning whether its thrills deserve applause. He singles out Scorsese’s skill at making the audience squirm as both the film’s achievement and its central problem.

Rafferty calls Scorsese’s remake a disgrace, arguing that its attempts at moral and psychological depth undermine its visceral horror. He praises the original’s blunt suspense and Robert Mitchum’s physically unsettling performance, while faulting Robert De Niro’s Cady as uninteresting and merely symbolic.

Nayman sees Scorsese’s remake as an unruly, often brilliant thriller that sometimes buckles under its excess. He especially praises De Niro’s feral, grotesque, and darkly comic performance as Max Cady.