Martin Scorsese's remake of the classic 1961 thriller. Tattooed psychopath Max Cady (Robert De Niro) has spent his 14-year prison term fermenting his bitterness towards attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), whom he blames for his incarceration. Upon his release Cady sets out to destroy the already troubled home life Sam enjoys with his beautiful wife Leigh (Jessica Lange) and teenage daughter Danielle (Juliette Lewis). When the law proves unable to protect his family, Sam is forced to fight back in self-defence. 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. plays a serial rapist released from prison after 14 years. Angry because his appalled attorney () made it easy for him to be convicted, this monster is out to hurt Nolte's character through his wife () and daughter (). 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