I've been given it some thought about why watching 'Raising Cain' left me feeling so disappointed and unsatisfied. This should have been a very good film. De Palma is generally very good with thrillers, John Lithgow is a wonderful talent and this is the kind of part that he was A-list material for at that point in his career. Where did it all go wrong? There are at least two very well staged scary scenes:
1. The back seat of the car when it is pushed into the water 2. When Jenny bends down to pick up her daughter in the final scene of the movie
And there are several tremendously tense scenes in the final 30 minutes as all of the pieces are put together by the characters.
I think that might be the problem for the film. There should be very few plot elements that the viewer can't figure out or learn quickly within the opening hour. The frustration comes from then watching uncompelling and unsympathetic 'good guys' slowly put the pieces together. Lithgow is at least entertaining as he tries to figure his way out of a situation that is rapidly spiralling out of his hands. The first hour is terribly paced, vacuous and full of characters who are presented in mostly unlikeable ways. I wanted to but I just couldn't like anyone in the film. Take the scene when Carter Nix is reporting the disappearance of his wife to Lt. Terri and Sgt. Cully. The police are presented as dimwitted unlikeable oafs.
What most aggravated then was the potential displayed in the final 30 minutes of the film. The viewer knows the truth about Margot and tension is almost Hitchcock-like when Jenny starts to follow Dr. Waldheim. From that point to the excellent ending, 'Raising Cain' is worth watching. I just think it's a pity that the 'tears-of-boredom' inducing initial hour ruin what might have been a good thriller. Saved by the end but at too much of a cost, a film that should probably be given a miss for anyone other than Lithgow or De Palma enthusiasts.
1. The back seat of the car when it is pushed into the water 2. When Jenny bends down to pick up her daughter in the final scene of the movie
And there are several tremendously tense scenes in the final 30 minutes as all of the pieces are put together by the characters.
I think that might be the problem for the film. There should be very few plot elements that the viewer can't figure out or learn quickly within the opening hour. The frustration comes from then watching uncompelling and unsympathetic 'good guys' slowly put the pieces together. Lithgow is at least entertaining as he tries to figure his way out of a situation that is rapidly spiralling out of his hands. The first hour is terribly paced, vacuous and full of characters who are presented in mostly unlikeable ways. I wanted to but I just couldn't like anyone in the film. Take the scene when Carter Nix is reporting the disappearance of his wife to Lt. Terri and Sgt. Cully. The police are presented as dimwitted unlikeable oafs.
What most aggravated then was the potential displayed in the final 30 minutes of the film. The viewer knows the truth about Margot and tension is almost Hitchcock-like when Jenny starts to follow Dr. Waldheim. From that point to the excellent ending, 'Raising Cain' is worth watching. I just think it's a pity that the 'tears-of-boredom' inducing initial hour ruin what might have been a good thriller. Saved by the end but at too much of a cost, a film that should probably be given a miss for anyone other than Lithgow or De Palma enthusiasts.