Raising Cain (1992)

Raising Cain: Dr Carter Nix is a man who, it seems, kills young women who have growing children and takes the children to a elderly and facially similar man. Assisting Carter is a man who constantly smokes and wears sunglasses, and gibes with Carter. Meanwhile Carter attempts to track his wife, Jenny’s activities. She has a lover who she meets for sex, and sometimes is seen by Carter as she gets to it with him. The sunglasses man, Cain, is an alternative personality of Carter. Later Carter seems to kill his wife, and sinks his car with her in it in a lake, but apparently, she has escaped. Carter is apprehended and it is revealed that he is a multiple personality, and his father’s former research partner is called to interview him. All will be revealed.

Content: There is sex, with a lot of moaning but no nudity. Cain smokes constantly, but no-one drinks I don’t think. It gradually becomes apparent that Carter is one of a number of personalities. Cain is a sort of evil presence, there is also a boy and importantly a middle-aged lady and after a lot of confused images it begins to become clear as Dr Waldheim, the former research partner to his father, interviews Carter.

A View: The critics were generally divided on what they thought of this film, obviously some getting more out of it than others. The Chicago tribune said ‘one of the most incoherent films in memory’, but other found it riveting. I actually disliked it and was misled by various scenes. Carter delivers stolen children to his father in a motel. How could the father then use them for research? I never realised that Jenny had survived Carter’s attempt to kill her, and that she had escaped from the car. So what I ended up with was a plot which I could not follow, regardless of what was intended. There is a director’s cut which might be better.

Fun Fact: The Director’s Cut was produced by a Dutch film director, Peet Gelderblom, firstly as a fan feature on You Tube but endorsed by Brian De Palma.