I'd seen the 1962 version of this story and read the source novel, but hadn't previously seen Marty's take. Interestingly the 90's remake of 'Cape Fear' started out as a Spielberg project, but he eventually deamed it too violent and Scorsese took it over, he's more at home with the cinematic violence.
There is homage here, the original 62 score is repurposed and there are visual nods to Hitchcock throughout, though he did not direct the original film. Also a Saul (and Elaine) Bass title sequence, one of his last. Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, stars of the original movie, have cameos, Mitchum even has multiple scenes. Their original roles are taken over by Nick Nolte and Robert DeNiro respectively.
The biggest difference between the movies, other then the greatly increased level of violence, is that this movie is morally grey. In the book and 62 version the protagonist is the man whose testimony put the antagonist away, it just so happens that he was a lawyer. In the 91' film the protagonist had been the antagonists lawyer, his public defender in a violent rap and assault case. Nolte had come across evidence impeaching the victim as promiscuous, in violation of professional ethics, and because he wanted his client to go to prison, he suppressed that evidence. Antagonist figured this out while in prison, so when he is released after 14 years he has well planed his revange.
So in the first movie the horror is the mostly arbitrary nature of the terror inflicted on the protagonist and family, in this version there is some karma here. DeNiro's character is a backwoods pentecostal in his upbringing, he inflicts vengeance for wrong times 7 in a biblical manner; he is terrifying and relentless like and old testament God.
This is a solid thriller with a particularly brutal final act. Good supporting cast, a more fleshed out story, Nolte is good but DeNiro just terrifying. ***
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