Netflix add ‘menacing’ De Niro psychological thriller where he paid for extreme body modification

Netflix have added a thriller starring Robert De Niro to their catalogue directed by the great Martin Scorsese.

The pair have worked together on ten different feature films, including some of the best of all time.

Over the course of 50 years the pair have teamed up to bring film audiences Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Killers of the Flower Moon.

One of the pair’s more underrated pictures however saw the legendary actor put himself through a bizarre body modification, one that he himself paid for.

De Niro played the part of an escaped rapist in the film, looking to hunt down the public defender he believes is responsible for his imprisonment.

Called Cape Fear, Netflix quietly added the film to their catalogue this morning. The Hollywood legend starred alongside Nick Nolte and Juliette Lewis in the neo-noir psychological thriller which saw the actor nominated for Best Actor.

De Niro plays Max Cady, a terrifying psychopath who has just finished serving a 14-year prison sentence for raping a young girl.

He stalks Sam Bowden, played by Nolte, as well as Bowden’s family.

De Niro is no stranger to making massive physical transformation for parts in films, having gained 60 pounds to play Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull.

For Cape Fear however he took things even further, paying $5,000 (just over £4,000) to have his teeth filed down to make him look even more unsettling.

After filming was complete he had to then pay five times this amount to reset them to normal.

In addition to this he did a specific work out to get ‘prison muscles’ and tattoos. The tattoos were painted on with food colouring and took months to come off his body.

De Niro's Cape Fear tattoos (Universal)

This contributed to the overall vibe of the film which many have called ‘menacing’, with particular praise being given to the iconic actor’s performance.

Victoria Luxford wrote about the film in 2023, saying of De Niro’s performance for BBC.com: “He had played a tough guy before, but never quite like this: a very sinister, very jagged, very dangerous character.

"Put that together with Martin Scorsese at possibly the peak of his powers, and it’s a delightful if slightly scary film.”

One 9/10 review on IMDb said of the movie: “This brutal, violent and suspenseful thriller combines a scorching performance by Robert Deniro, sumptuous location photography, and a powerful script that raises disturbing questions about religion, sex, and class distinctions in our so-called classless society.”

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a three out of four star review, saying: “Cape Fear is impressive moviemaking, showing Scorsese as a master of a traditional Hollywood genre who is able to mold it to his own themes and obsessions.”

Cape Fear is now available to stream on Netflix in the UK and Ireland.