Fourteen years ago, Max Cady (Robert De Niro) was on trial for the rape of a 16-year old girl.  His lawyer, Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) suppressed a piece of evidence that might have got him acquitted — and as a result, Max endured torturous long years in prison.  But he educated himself while in jail, and prepared himself for his eventual revenge.  Upon his release, Max immediately seeks out Bowden, and starts menacing his family — him, his wife Leigh (Jessica Lange) and daughter Danielle (Juliette Lewis).  A twisted series of mind games ensue, with the psychotic Max determined to teach Sam "what loss means".

The current film is a remake of a 1962 thriller of the same name.  It features excellent acting from De Niro and Lewis (both were Oscar-nominated), and is efficiently directed by Martin Scorsese.  There is a level of intensity maintained throughout, and certain scenes seem like they could be out of a slasher movie.  The mood is heightened by Bernard Herrmann's effective music (here rearranged by Elmer Bernstein), and the movie is punctuated by some scenes of strong violence.

The film probably does not compare to Scorsese's other classics, but is still an effective one.

The movie was a commercial hit and I remember video boxes of this prominently being displayed in rental libraries in Hyderabad, in the early 90s.  It has taken me around 14 years to get around to watching this movie!

Running Time: 128 minutes | Country: US | Genre: Thriller