Hand That Rocks the Cradle [VHS] [1992]

I first saw this film in the cinema in 1992 and have since re-visited it maybe five times more - it is quite superb as an example of the 90s psychological thriller also epitomised in Single White Female, Silence of the Lambs, Misery and to an extent Basic Instinct, which was out around the same time. We had originally gone to see another film but ended up watching this - I knew nothing about it other than the fact it starred the wonderful and delectable De Mornay, who had taken my breath away (and that of every other red-blooded young lad) in Risky Business nine years earier.

So what a wonderful surprise it was to see her in this remarkable role. Not a particularly original plot - crazed woman seeks revenge on family - but De Mornay plays it to perfection: unsettling in the extreme; calculating; charming on the outside, burning with rage on the inside. I genuinely felt at the time it was Oscar-worthy and still do. And yet despite all the increasingly appalling acts she perpetrates in an attempt to destroy the family she is supposed to be serving, we still feel some sympathy for her deranged character. There are comparisons with Kathy Bates' startling turn in Misery although it would be folly to suggest De Mornay's portrayal is in quite that league. However it is extremely effective. The scene where she deals with the school bully is both shocking and amusing in equal measure, while her systematic attempts at undermining her employer, superbly played by Anabella Sciorra, are ingenious and chilling.

Some scenes are extremely uncomfortable - most notably the one with the charming but perverted gynaecologist (De Mornay's husband) at the start of the film. No woman can fail to react with anything but horror to this. And I'm afraid this is where the "flawed" part of the classic comes in.

Underpinning the whole plot is the fact that Sciorra's testimony against the gynaecologist encourages other women who have been abused by this man to come forward. He then kills himself, De Mornay miscarries and then seeks her deadly revenge.

Fine. But how does De Mornay locate the family?

She sees Sciorra's mugshot ON THE NEWS.

Yes, the woman who bravely accuses a perverted gynaecologist of sexual abuse is IDENTIFIED ON THE NATIONAL NEWS, complete with photo! No anonymity WHATSOEVER!

This is sadly an insult to the viewer's intelligence.

Fortunately the viewer's brain is treated to a lot more respect in what follows, and many of the scenes live long in the memory. The cat-and-mouse denouement in the family home is spine-tinglingly tense and one of many thrills. Julianne Moore's contribution - and shocking death - is magnificent, her supporting role is one of the film's many treats.

So basically, if you can get over the big flaw at the start, and enjoy an otherwise very intelligent and unsettling psychological thriller, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this. It has rarely been bettered in the 18 years since its release.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is directed by Curtis Hanson and written by Amanda Silver. It stars Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Julianne Moore and Ernie Hudson. Plot sees De Mornay as Peyton Flanders, on the surface a seemingly perfect nanny, but below beats the heart of a revenge fuelled maniac. Something that the Bartel family are about to find out.

It's the sort of thriller that arrived in the 1990's and got positive notices and thrilled many a cinema viewer. Yet you look at some of the internet ratings and you would be fooled into thinking that the film is not very good. Fact is is that these type of thrillers have, with the advent of time and a relaxation of censorship etc, not aged well to the point of not being able to satiate the current generation of thrill seeker. So it's most likely going to be hard for the unimpressed viewer of today to believe that Hanson's movie was once the subject of much media musings and talk show debates. Its theme of a terror within the family home, coupled with a beginning involving a less than honourable gynaecologist, really goes for the throat of the female viewer. The guys, meanwhile, just have to sit back and observe how man of the family Matt McCoy deals with the expanding problem in the home, while the shapely form of De Mornay, in spite of her seriously having a screw loose, is sure to be appealing to the red blooded male.

True enough some of its silly, and naturally contrived, but it does tick many of the great thriller boxes. It's also boosted by two impressively strong lead female turns from Sciorra, who is dressed down plainly and perfectly gets to grips with the nuclear mom act, and De Mornay, who paces the onset of her terror campaign with some aplomb; a campaign dotted with icy cold bitch moments and sensual niceties. In support Hudson is very good, but the trajectory of his mentally challenged character is telegraphed very early on, while Moore works well with what (sadly) little screen time she gets. Hanson keeps the tension tight, slowly tightening the noose in little snatches, and the ending, that arguably holds no surprises if you watch many thrillers of this ilk, is handled skillfully and closes the film in a wave of fists, kicks, blood and broken bodies. Job done. Even if it did at the time set the nanny trade back a few years! 7.5/10

Excellent thriller. Director Curtis Hanson cranks up a real chilling atmosphere, with sheer adrenaline and suspense running through the brilliantly acted characters and storyline, it's so exciting it never stops. This film has the best performance I have ever seen by a Hollywood actress. Rebecca De Mornay is so convincingly evil and intimidating in her beautiful icy blonde villain role, you'll wonder why she didn't get a single oscar nod. But she did win the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a nomination for Best Female Performance. She is subtle and intimidating, not over the top and laughable and the film is all the better for it as well as how the story reflects real people and how families being careful about who should be around their children. I really liked Julianne Moore too, who added some realistic bitter humour. A simple story of a nanny who wants revenge on the nice, happy woman who drove her doctor husband to kill himself, is perfect. Sure, it's been done before but never as attention grabbing or so cunningly presented.