Film Reviews: Raising Cain
As a director Brian De Palma has more good films on his resume than bad. The only problem is that RAISING CAIN is not one of them. Although the film is very entertaining with many twists and turns the problem with the film lies in the fact that the script is unfocused and is all over the place, which for a film about a man with split personality disorder this would normally be fine but in this film its used as a stylistic choice that just never really connects with the viewer.
A lot of the awe and mystery of De Palma’s previous masterpieces like DRESSED TO KILL, BLOW OUT, and BODY DOUBLE is lost in this film because the mystery is revealed too early by having the audience already know that Carter (John Lithgow) is suffering from multiple personality disorder. Once this bit of info is revealed the film never recovers because now it becomes and over acting tour de force for Lithgow whose character arc stalls and your left with nothing more than a mystery less-mystery where even the death scenes aren’t even interesting.
De Palma instead focuses the rest of the movie on Lithgow as you watch his character over act and succumb to one or all of the personalities trapped within. This is not to say that the film isn’t entertaining because if there is one thing De Palma is good at its keeping things flowing and entertaining you even if none of it really makes much sense. His films are all about spectacle while story, plot, and other things are usually left on the cutting room floor.
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