Tags
1990's, Brian De Palma, Frances Sternhagen, John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, Psychological Thriller, Raising Cain, Steven Bauer
Film Title
Raising Cain
Director
Brian De Palma
Starring
- John Lithgow as Carter Nix/ Cain
- Lolita Davidovich as Jenny
- Steven Bauer as Jack
- Frances Sterhangen as Dr Lynn Waldheim
A twisting and frequently outrageous psychological thriller from Brian De Palma, Raising Cain is thoroughly enthralling and full of stunning cinema technique, complete with a story that keeps getting you to question the certainty of it. I wouldn’t put it as the best thriller around because of some parts that go way too complicated and unnecessary, but overall the sheer outrageousness helps to make it a feverish delight.
Carter Nix is a mild-mannered child psychologist who has taken time out of work to help raise his young daughter Amy with his wife Jenny, who works as a nurse. Lately though, Carter has become unnervingly attached to his daughter that becomes even more peculiar as the film progresses. At the start, Jenny can’t quite see this though there are hints dropped that become noticeable to her. What is unknown to Jenny is the fact that the seemingly benign Carter is somehow involved in a horrifying experiment, which is where his alter ego of Cain comes in. Cain arises whenever Carter can’t do something and it is frequently nasty. The aforementioned experiment is for their doctor father; they kill mothers and take their young children all in the hopes of helping him with his maniacal studies of personality. Yet it is largely Cain who does these unspeakable acts, even though it weighs more than a little heavy on Carter and bleeds into him. He has lately taken to being overly concerned and almost studying in his treatment of his young daughter, which is a major cause for concern. His behaviour and mood swings begin to alarm Jenny, who fears for her daughter without realising the whole truth of it all. Meanwhile, Jenny herself is having to deal with her own dilemmas. The biggest one is Jack; a former flame of hers who returns out of the blue and still has feelings for her. Jenny soon gives in to temptation and ignites their affair again. Carter’s alter ego of Cain really begins to take over once he witnesses his wife engaging in her affair, leading to shocking consequences and startling revelations that are not what they seem.
Brian De Palma is the stylish man behind the camera and his stamp is well and truly on Raising Cain, complete with the customary homages to Hitchcock. Flourishes of visual astuteness and exceeding panache can be viewed in almost every frame of Raising Cain. You can’t fault De Palma for his visionary way of shooting, its gorgeous even when filled with terror. The sweeping camera , including a simply sublime long tracking shot, that lasts for a number of minutes as the history of Carter’s family is brought into the light by the doctor on the case. The many dreamlike scenes of Raising Cain come equipped with an eerie but strangely beautiful chill, that wraps them and subsequent scenes in that otherworldly grip that plays into the deceptive plot. And while a lot of the film is over the top, it suits De Palma’s style with operatic touches and a significant amount of tongue in cheek to the approach. Instead of it getting to be a parody, there is serious tension and suspense supplied. Add to that layers of whether we are witnessing dreams or reality at various points, and you can’t help but be compelled by Raising Cain. Doubles, flashbacks( or are they?) and an all around creepiness make for a heady brew. The film isn’t a titanic piece of classic movie making though, as there are flaws. Firstly, although it doesn’t fully go into parody or lampooning, it can get pretty ridiculous with some of its moves I must say. At times, some of it slips out of control and it bites off more than it can chew with a couple of parts that slip into unintentionally funny, though the mastery of De Palma’s direction and vision is still very much on show among these weaknesses. A bit more logic may have been of use in Raising Cain as the pudding does get over egged a lot, but the largely over the top narrative and twisted turns paper over some of these cracks. From what I’ve seen out of his movies, Raising Cain is a bit underrated as I haven’t heard that many people talk about it. And while it’s not a work of genius in comparison to some of his other more noted works, it shows enough skill and cinematic technique to be held in higher regard, at least a little bit more than it is. There are many times when you think you’ve got a hold on things and then the whole thing switches and you’re left to reassess them, owing to the complex and fiendish machinations of the plot. This is where the strong points of the film lies as genuine feelings of unease emerge swiftly once certain truths or something resembling that are exposed. A simply luscious and sinister score begins with an almost childlike tone that morphs into moments of shattering crescendo, much like the character of Cain and his other personality.
John Lithgow relishes his roles as Carter and Cain. He skilfully displays the different natures of both with Carter being terrified yet obsessed and Cain being the violent and underhand side. Lithgow manages to make it all very thrilling and unnerving to watch, as he occasionally blurs the lines between the two with considerable menace. He is the captivating centre of this movie and a lot of that is seen through his performance. Unfortunately, I found that Lolita Davidovich was more than a little wooden playing the terrorized wife. Now she did show some convincing moments of fear, but I couldn’t help but feel that she was too indecisive when acting in the part to truly make it work. She looked gorgeous though and her beauty is very becoming. Steven Bauer makes up for things as the handsome object of Jenny’s affections who inadvertently becomes the thing that allows Cain to fully surface with maniacal intent. The great Frances Sterhangen steals the scenes she appears in, where she embodies the shock and incisive knowledge of Carter/Cain through a past event, yet can’t quite piece all the parts of the baffling puzzle together into a whole. Sternhagen exudes an intrinsic authority and level of intelligence that feeds into the part exceptionally well.
So it is an overblown exercise which does induce head-scratching, but by and large Raising Cain still keeps your focus in a strange way, that De Palma plays to with pizzazz. It’s not a masterpiece by any means, but still a movie that demands attention for its thrills and visionary content. And just to tel you all, I’m going to be finding my way through De Palma’s filmography in the next few months, so look out for more reviews.
beetleypete said:
I have seen most of De Palma’s films, and overblown is a good way to describe this one. Despite that, Lithgow is a joy to watch, even when he is completely over-the-top. I enjoyed it a lot at the time.
If you are watching more of his, don’t forget ‘Body Double’, which is sexy and stylish. Also ‘Blow Out’ which we have discussed previously. I just watched ‘Passion’ on TV too, and Noomi Rapace is very good in that one. I also really liked ‘The Black Dahlia’, which wasn’t well-received by critics, but was by me. And it has got Scarlett in it, ‘Enough said’.
Cheers mate, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
While some of it went ludicrous, the largely over the top feeling was actually very enticing. John Lithgow is a fantastic actor, love how deep he gets into his roles. De Palma really knows how to shoot a scene, he’s a visual guy. I have noted down those movies Pete. I’ve been checking IMDB anyway for his movies, but thanks for reminding me.
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fragglerocking said:
Haven’t seen it and not my cuppa, but great review as always.
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vinnieh said:
I believe the movies of De Palma can be like that.
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TheWarner said:
I enjoyed this film.
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vinnieh said:
The delirious thrills it sports are really something to behold. I enjoyed the overblown angle of it.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I love John Lithgow whether he’s playing a villain or a comedic role. I loved him in this!
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vinnieh said:
He’s a great actor. And it says a lot when you play someone with two very different personalities!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I honestly think he’s one of the few actors who hasn’t wound up stereotyped!
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vinnieh said:
I concur with that statement, he chooses roles that really show off his versatility.
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sonofabeach96 said:
I’ve not seen this one, but I love Lithgow. He makes for a good villain. 😃
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vinnieh said:
He is excellent in this film. He nails both the gentle and the horror side of his character.
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sonofabeach96 said:
Ill have to check it out. 😃
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vinnieh said:
It’s pretty good. Not perfect, but very inventive and I loved the direction from Brian De Palma.
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vanbytheriver said:
Lithgow was the best villain. We were surprised when we saw him as a comedic actor…so versatile.
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vinnieh said:
He really is a bit of a chameleon, isn’t he?
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Wednesday's Child said:
I’m a big DePalma fan, but even though I saw this on the big screen I literally remember one scene only, and it was something that disturbed me way more than it should have. I’m almost scared to re-watch, because I’m afraid it will seem silly now instead of scary, heh heh.
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vinnieh said:
Oh don’t be afraid, there are plenty of movies that I’ve had that same experience with.
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ninvoid99 said:
I do like this film a lot as I just love how seedy it is and how overly-stylized it is and doesn’t apologize for it. De Palma when he’s writing his own material and just going a little insane is fun De Palma.
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vinnieh said:
Yeah De Palma really goes all out on the style with gorgeous and shocking results. You have to admire the man for his visionary content.
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badblokebob said:
I picked up Arrow’s new Blu-ray of this recently so I’m looking forward to getting round to it someday (knowing me, in several years!) Sometimes I find movies that are good but aren’t counted among “the best” are almost more interesting — trying to see what works, what doesn’t, and why.
By-the-way, did you watch the original version of Raising Cain or the director’s cut? I’ve got the impression they’re quite different (though I’ve avoided spoilers so don’t know how exactly!)
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vinnieh said:
I think it was the original version. Had no idea about there being a Director’s Cut. You make a valid point about films that aren’t counted as the best, they do get you to really look at them closely.
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keepsmealive said:
I am here to full support a dive into De Palma’s work! Looking forward to more.
This one was indeed weird, but worth it. Yup, you nailed it. Nice one!
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vinnieh said:
I’m enjoying his stuff so far. Even when he isn’t firing on all cylinders, there is something to admire. The cinematography was gorgeous in this.
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