The greatest movie ever!

The greatest movie ever made..!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

I'd be wanting to see this film for some time, and knowing that Curtis Hanson was directing, I was anticipating a very solid ride.Sadly, I was more than a little disappointed with the outcome.Much of the problem of this film lies with the script, I believe. For me, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle represents the absolute epitome of formula-driven filmmaking.While Fatal Attraction, an earlier example of the 'person from hell' thriller subgenre is tightly-structured, it nevertheless managed to be more than just a formula film, by offering nuanced portrayals of protagonist & antagonist. Though terrifying, Glenn Close's Alex was, for my money, still a rather conflict and even sympathetic character through much of the story, as she fights a losing battle against her growing obsession. It elevated the material and made the villain not simply one-dimensional.In this film, however, I found it very hard to feel any sympathy at all for Peyton. Her double losses of child and husband at the beginning of the film were presumably anticipated to generate a level of sympathy for the character, but it was not the case for me. As soon as she enters as Peyton, she demonstrates a single-minded intent and maliciousness not out of step with a moustache-twirling bond villain.To some extent, characters in a film will always function in service of the plot, but I think the secret of good writing is to make it less obvious - that each character's choices feel organic to their character and not simply existing to push the plot forward piece by piece - unless of course you're making a spoof or parody.I read in one review that the screenwriter wrote this script as her thesis during film school, and it very much feels like a student of films like Fatal Attraction and others doing a carefully-planned paint by numbers incarnation of the psycho person thriller.

I was sad to hear of the recent death of Curtis Hanson at 71, and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle rocks big time. Rebecca De Mornay was robbed in not getting an Oscar nomination. Her menacing nature without saying a word was captivating, and it's hard to imagine any other actress playing the babysitter.Good to see Matt McCoy move on from Police Academy to be the leading man in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. The scene where Rebecca's character almost seduces Matt's character was tense, and I do wonder if the DVD has a deleted scene where he did succumb to her wiles, and who knows what.Annabella Sciorra also was a standout in this, as was Ernie Hudson, who was my favorite Ghostbuster by the way.

Terrific tale of the macabre where a woman seeks revenge on another woman and the lady's family. The former was the wife of the doctor and he committed suicide after allegations were made by the latter that he touched her inappropriately during an exam.The widow gets into their lives as the nanny and almost immediately brings havoc to the household, even going so far to create a situation where the woman believes that her husband has been cheating with an old flame, a good friend of the family. The latter is played by Julianne Moore, bringing relish and a strong determination as the feisty real estate agent, who becomes a victim in all this mayhem.A very young Madeleine Zinna,who went on to become known in The Nanny television series, plays a precocious young child who certainly has her wits about her.The gentleman playing the mentally challenged young man aide to the family is excellent and it just goes to show you that he is dismissed after our "widow" plants clothing in his room attesting to a possible inappropriate touching with the young Zinna character.

There are some movies which are essentially 'made' by one star. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is a prime casing point; Rebecca De Mornay, as the 'nanny from hell' "Peyton Flanders", is chilling, seductive, and simply stunning, as she manipulates her way through the Bartel household, as well as us, the audience.I think the the film is great for testing our allegiance to the family themselves; even though we constantly feel anxious for their safety, and are aligned as to the tragedies that befall them, for which we can only sit back and look on in horror, there's also an underlying morbid desire to see "Peyton" win, which is exemplified by De Mornay's bewitchingly sultry performance, and her unwavering determination to get revenge.As for the rest of the essentially B-list cast, there's winning performances all round, with special mention to Ernie Hudson as the family's intellectually disabled handyman, who displays great warmth and emotional depth to his role, and to the Bartel family (Annabella Sciorra, Matt McCoy, Madeline Zima) themselves; each actor delivering a compellingly real profoundness to their individual roles, which goes a long way in making them much more compassionate, and increasing our allegiance with them. Indeed, it's that allegiance to the family which helps in papering over any predictability or cheesiness in the film, as despite our initial morbid desire to see "Peyton" win, it's that sympathetic but not overtly sentimental view of the Bartels which means, in this movie at least, that the audience also naturally want the typical happy ending that we've come to expect from Hollywood.It's Hollywood's loss that they've never fully tapped into De Mornay's clear talent and charisma though! One hopes that her career will be revived in the future. She sure does make an impact here, and her performance etches itself into the memory.Going along at a good steady pace, which builds to an exciting climax, director Cliff Hanson (The River Edge, L.A Confidential, 8 Mile) has crafted yet another witty, thrilling, and inspired piece, which re-invents the whole 'never let strangers into your house' premise with real bite, so if it's a tense, unnerving, but very fun late-night thriller you're looking for, look no further!