10 OKAY Movies Elevated By ONE Phenomenal Performance
8. Cape Fear - Robert De Niro
Strangely for a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Cape Fear is fairly average and certainly isn’t in either legend’s hall of fame. That said, De Niro’s menace keeps the movie afloat and he definitely brings his A-game, even if it’s sometimes in vain.
De Niro plays a convicted rapist, hell bent on revenge against the lawyer who put him away. He constantly lurks in their life, but it’s not until the third act where he strikes.
It was parodied by The Simpsons in Cape Feare, but like so many movies the show has gone near, it’s since been overshadowed by the antics of the yellow family.
De Niro even earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the role; the sixth of a total of seven career nominations.
In fairness, Juliette Lewis also got a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role, but for the most part she simply sells being scared of De Niro. Considering Lewis was only 17 and had limited experience while shooting, she definitely does an admirable job, but in hindsight the Oscar may have been a little much.
These days, it’s only De Niro’s performance and the famous Simpsons parody which make this one memorable.