i think we all begin a lot of review with and this could have make a great movie . a demented ex con freshly sprung and a tidy suburban family his target . revenge and retribution and manipulation . marty usual lay on of the karo syrup . but unfortunately somewhere in universal high rise a memorandum come down represent everyone ham it up . nolte only speak with eyebrow raise and lange bitch her way through cigarette and lewis ohmagod . her way though her scene and and bobby d. well and he on a whole other magic carpet . affect some sort of cajun or huckleberry hound accent hybrid and he chomp fat cigar and cackle at random atrocity such a problem child . and i want you to imagine the accent mention above . now imagine it spout brain clang religious rhetoric at top volume like he swallow six bible and and you have de niro schtick here . most distracting of all and though and be his most overdone use of the de niro face he so lampoon for . eye squint and forehead crinkle and lip curl . crimany and bob and you look like plastic man . the story apparently begin off screen 14 year earlier and when nolte be unable to spare de niro time in the bighouse for various assault . upon release and he feel nolte misrep of him back then warrant the terrorizing of he and his kin . and be suppose to give de niro character a slight pas because nolte withheld information that might have shorten his sentence . de niro be one of these criminal who and despite be guilty of unspeakable act and feel his lack of freedom justifies continue such act on the outside . mmm kay . he go after notle near mistress ( in a scene some may want to turn away from ) and his wife and his daughter and the family dog and ya know . which be one of the shortcoming of wesley strick screenplay represent utter predictability . a each of de niro harassment become more gruesome and you can pretty much call the rest of the action before it happen . strick isn not to be totally discredited and a he manage a few compelling dialogue drive moment ( de niro and lewis seedy exchange in an empty theater be the film best scene ) and but mostly it all over crank . scorsese cartoonish photographic approach come off a force and not to mention the horribly outdated re work bernard hermann score ( i keep wait for the wolf man to show up with a genetically enlarge tarantula ) . thus we arrive at the comedic portion of the flick . unintentionally comedic and that be . you know those scene where something graphically horrific be happen and but you can not help but snicker out of sight of others . you will do it here . nolte and lange squawk about infidelity and de niro thumb flirting and he cross dressing and and a kitchen slip on a certain substance that have to be see to believe . and bob infernal and incessant and constant and mind damaging and no end in sight blowhard ramblings of all the philosophy he disovered in prison . i want him kill to shut him up more than to save this annoy family . i always hate to borrow thought from other reviewer and but here it necessary . this really be scorsese version of freddy krueger . the manner in which de niro relish and speaks and stalk and withstands pain and right down to his one liner and be vintage freddy . upon be scald by a pot of thrown water represent you try to offer sumpin hot . please . and that just one example . unless you be a fan of the original 1962 flick and want a thrill out of see balsam and peck and and mitchum nearly 30 year later ( or want a serious head shake film experience ) and avoid a trip to the cape .