Recensioni degli utenti

Just the opening scene turns off a lot of people, but that's too because all of the film - all of it - is interesting with Rebecca DeMornay excelling at a vengeful, psychotic killer nanny. This "nanny" does about everything you could do to ruin a family. Yes, she's the nanny from Hell.

I always thought Annabella Sciorra had an interesting face with a knockout smile, at least back in late '80s, early '90s, so I enjoy watching her. Here, she plays a good woman who is married to a good man (Matt McCoy) - wow, there's an oddity in modern films: a happy and faithful husband and wife!

This is an involving film. Once you are into it, you're hooked and the 100-plus minutes go by pretty fast. DeMornay is so effective in her role you just can't wait to see her exposed for who she is and justice done to her.

I did think Sciorra's character would have needed more to go on to come to the right conclusion near the end, but, usually every film has some question marks regarding credibility. The violent, ending scene is very suspenseful and well- done.

You have to hand it to the makers of THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE--once the story starts to unravel, you have to stay tuned to find out how this manipulative bitch will get her comeuppance. It's as simple as that. We know from the start that she has evil intentions, but we never know how evil they are until she starts a series of manipulative acts that demonstrate how cunning and remorseless she is.

REBECCA de MORNAY is so convincingly evil that you have to wonder why her career didn't skyrocket after this. It's a performance worthy of award consideration, but both she and the film itself have been largely forgotten. None of the supporting players, with the exception of JULIANNE MOORE, have become household names but they're all quite effective.

The ending may be somewhat predictable--and most welcome when it finally comes--but it's still stylishly done and a satisfying conclusion to a tale of household terror when a nanny's rage goes amok because of an incident in her past involving a woman whom she perceives as ruining her husband's life. Sure, it's been done before, but never quite so cunningly presented.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is the cornerstone of the trashy chick flick sub-genre. Many films since have used the same formula that makes this one a success, and most have failed. The reason this film is almost a resounding success has nothing to do with the plot or characters, however, it's the way that director Curtis Hanson handles it. The man who would go on to find acclaim with the astounding L.A. Confidential directs with the utmost still, and while there are few absolutely shocking sequences in this film; you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise due to the way that Hanson handles every scene. The movie leaves a lot of room for suspense, and every instant is made the best of by the director. The plot seems rather routine these days (and it probably did back in 1992), as we see a good all-American family hire the 'perfect' babysitter. She's not quite so perfect, however, and as we watch her pull down the family she's supposed to be helping from within, this becomes abundantly clear.

One thing that makes this film hard to like for some people is the fact that almost every motivation in the film is extremely unlikely. Would you hire a babysitter who apparently 'just knew' you wanted one? Wouldn't you become suspicious when everything started going wrong after you hired her? The list goes on, it really does, and it would seem that writer Amanda Silver just wanted to portray certain plots and didn't care too much how the characters fit into them. It's also obvious that the script was written by a woman throughout, with many of the sequences being more aimed towards women. None of these bad points really harm it though, because it's so well handled that it's hard not to just sit back and enjoy yourself. The centrepiece when it comes to the stagy set pieces is definitely the one with the greenhouse, which is both psychologically pleasing and suspense filled. The acting is just fine, with Rebecca De Mornay slotting into the deranged psycho role nicely. The best thing about this film for me is definitely the way that the babysitter manipulates the children and engineers situations to her advantage. This may be trash at the end of the day, but it's fiendishly done!

When people see horror movies that really effect them, they lock themselves away. Now someone can pick the lock. This is a fairly good movie that really hits home. I admit it is extremely similar to "Fatal Attraction" but I like this movie better. This time it seems Peyton is a little more evil than Alex and she has a better motive. Peyton is a nanny, she is to take care of Emily and Joe, she has different plans in mind. The acting is pretty good, the characters are well developed and it is a nice, cozy little horror you care rely on when nothing is on TV. I have to say in a way, it reminds me of "Rosemary's Baby". This time though, it is the one who rocks the cradle that is corrupt.

Sorry for the lousy pun but a nanny-themed movie starring Madeline Zima was asking for it, now, let the review start.

You have a good typical American Family made of a handsome blue-eyed scientist with a sexy beard, played by an actor whose fame didn't rise much since the film, a frail devoted asthmatic housewife who looks like the twin sister of Talia Shire with a nicer hairdo, played by Annabella Sciorra, and a smart little girl (Zima), that's for the initial picture, and this happy family is looking for a nanny to take care of their newborn son and brother, so that Claire (the wife) can take care of a greenhouse project. Kind of a boring premise ... but there's more spicy elements about this family, and it's all wrapped up in the first 15 minutes, like a script school-case.

During a visit, Claire was victim of sexual abuse from her gynecologist, she sued him, other mothers complained, he killed himself, his wife played by Rebecca De Mornay didn't inherit the money and what's more, she has a miscarriage in the process, and become permanently sterile. To call it a strike of 'bad luck' would be the understatement of the millennium. Still, in her bad luck, while watching the news, she could catch the name and face of that woman who was indirectly responsible for all the personal mayhem she went through. You gotta wonder what the TV and police were thinking. Anyway, now, guess who's gonna offer his services for the nanny job?

Good thriller always rely on simple concept. "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" is no exception, it was an unexpected hit in 1992, the same year of a similarly themed film "Single White Female". Both are based on the same "Stranger Within" concept, when the lives of an ordinary family or group of persons are affected by the entrance of a next- door stranger, and it is a source of heart-pounding psychological thrills that was made started with "Fatal Attraction" and "Misery". The "Stranger Within" thriller is almost a synonym of 'fatal attraction'... in fact, the film could have as a tag-line "Fatal Attraction with a Nanny", just like "Single White Female" was "Fatal Attraction with a Roommate".

So, there are reasons though why this film wasn't as memorable as the one with Glenn Close, the surprise effect asked for more tricks and it's likely that the ones used in the film never really catch the audience off guard. Rewatching the film myself after 15 years, I realized that the realism, as used in Curtis Hanson's film, was made of the self- canceling effect between things happening too conveniently well for the villainess for the first three quarters, and then for the good guys in the last one. The evolution of the narrative is so schematically well-oiled that even the greatest effects are still attenuated by their predictability. It wows at times but hardly with a major 'w'.

Just to give you an idea, my younger brother who has seen less movies than I (ten years younger) immediately guessed that the big black retarded guy (played by the only Ghostbuster whose name is hardly remembered) was gonna be the last-minute hero, needless to say that he harbored a triumphant smile when at the climax, the poor daddy broke his legs and was immediately disqualified from the final confrontation. Anyone could've guess that but he also predicted that the slutty evil baby sitter would frame him so that he can be expelled from the house, and that was impressive.

He still enjoyed the film and I still did, but it is true that, suspension of disbelief was too demanding. So many things go totally wrong as soon as Peyton, the baby sitter makes her entrance that it's a wonder how Claire can't reassemble the pieces of he puzzle. She wants to wear a sexy dress, but she finds a last-minute stain and then puts the something that looks like extracted from the wall cover of a grandma's house. But let's say she's naive and at least, the character of the friend Marlene, played by sexy Julianne Moore never really trusted Peyton, but then how about a missing application letter, how about the sudden change of behavior of her daughter. But let's just say that, given how these tricks work, and how efficient they are in their frustrating effects, I accept them for the sake of what I expect from a B-movie thriller.

Still, there are three things I can't really forgive and that could've been easily avoided, Peyton could have faked a resume, after all the troubles that affected Claire's family, they would take some precautions and not let any stranger entering their world, just like that. Secondly, I don't think a woman who didn't have a child, much more sterile, can breast-feed a baby, and last but not least, the depiction of asthma. Not only these wheezing noises were annoying because they were never matching Clair's chests' movements, but when you decide that your movie will have a main character suffering from asthma, is it too much asking some tutorial about the proper use of an inhaler. All she did was making a quick click, she never put the inhaler in her mouth and it didn't feel as if she was inhaling anything.

If you care for realism, the film might not be your cup of tea, but that's not a reason to dismiss it, "Fatal Attraction", as a milestone as it was (and it wasn't) had its more-or- less ridiculously unrealistic parts. So, Hanson's film is enjoyable for what it serves well, a solid villainous performance, and an eerie sometimes sexy atmosphere that creates a well-packaged average psychological thriller, that's all, but as far as realism is concerned, well, it's not a good sign when a film is an inspiration for these hilarious '100 THings I learned" threads ...

This domestic thriller was a box-office hit despite its mid-level marquee pull and is entertaining and delivers plenty of suspense and shocks along the way. A vengeful widow who has lost her husband to a suicide and suffers a miscarriage plans to get even with the woman who caused the trouble by filing a sexual molestation suit against her husband. Rebecca de Mornay is the evil nanny who plots her revenge with relish, her satisfaction obvious as her plans begin to bear fruit. The nanny is not swayed by the innocence of the young girl or the newborn baby she is hired to care for and intends to destroy the entire family. Naturally, the parents are clueless as to what is going on until much later, while de Mornay methodically turns the household into her own domain, holding it in a grip of fear. Annabella Sciorra is the wife and mother who confronts de Mornay in the final moments. Graeme Revell contributes a nice music score.

Much like "Rear Window", this movie brings up a serious question: Whom can you trust? It all begins one day in Seattle, when Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) goes to her gynecologist. She gets the feeling that he's merely fondling her. After she reports this, several other women say the same thing, prompting the gynecologist to commit suicide. Soon afterward, his widow (Rebecca DeMornay) goes into labor. But the baby dies. Now she has only one thing on her mind: revenge.

That's where the movie gets really creepy. Assuming the name Peyton Flanders, she goes to work as a nanny for the Bartels. In the process, she not begins to act as a mother for the new baby, but she gets into everyone's confidence. And if anyone distrusts her...well, let's just say that she's way ahead of them.

If "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" makes you suspicious of your friends, then it's probably doing it's job. Director Curtis Hanson brings the same kind of intensity that he brought to "LA Confidential" and "8 Mile". You may never feel the same after watching this movie.

This is a chilling movie to spend a day or night with. Mrs. Moss (Rebecca De Mornay) seeks revenge on Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) for reporting her husband Dr. Moss for sexual harassment, which lead to the doctor's suicide and precipitating Moss' miscarriage. She poses as nanny Peyton for the Bartel family, with the intention of raising hell.

Rebecca De Mornay gave an outrageously evil performance. The plot is solid and fast-paced; the only problem I have is the method Claire used to interview Peyton for the nanny position. She only asked Peyton, "How did you become to be a nanny?" leaving out relevant questions like health, personal background, prior jobs, resumes, way with kids, etc. Other than that, I enjoyed watching this movie and especially liked Julianne Moore's character, with her making smart, acid wit remarks. I especially liked her line "You have a Harvard education, make something up."

Overall, a great mystery movie with some good action mixed in.

Grade A

The phrase "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world" is often thought to be a traditional proverb, but it is actually taken from a poem by the otherwise obscure 19th century American poet William Ross Wallace. This film is an example of that sub-genre of the thriller which I have come to think of as the "... from Hell" film. The basic plot of such films is that a stranger comes into the life of the hero. At first this stranger seems affable and friendly, but quickly reveals himself or herself to be a dangerous criminal or psychopath, and the hero finds that he is in danger. This basic concept is an old one, but it was given a new lease of life in the late 1980s and 1990s by the success of "Fatal Attraction" (or "One-Night Stand from Hell"). Other examples include "Pacific Heights" ("Tenant from Hell"), "Single White Female" ("Flatmate from Hell") and "Bad Influence", which can be summarised as "Bloke-You-Meet-In-A-Bar from Hell". Like "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle", this last was directed by Curtis Hanson.

Claire and Michael Bartel are the perfect all-American middle-class couple, living the American dream in an affluent district of Seattle. They already have a young daughter, Emma, and Claire is pregnant with their second child. And then their life is turned upside-down when Claire is sexually molested by her obstetrician, Dr. Mott. She reports him to the authorities, more women come forward to accuse him and he commits suicide to avoid trial. Although this development is clearly upsetting for Claire, she eventually recovers, safely gives birth to a boy and hires a young woman named Peyton Flanders as a nanny.

So was Claire right to accuse Dr Mott? This might seem like an absurd question; the answer, in both legal and moral terms, must be "yes". Had she not done so, he would have been free to continue preying on women. Yet, as T S Eliot wrote in "Murder in the Cathedral", "for every life and every act consequence of good and evil can be shown", and Claire's act, however morally justified, has evil consequences which go beyond Mott's suicide. His wife is pregnant, and the shock of his death causes her to go into premature labour and to lose her baby. She also loses her home because all her husband's assets are frozen to compensate his victims. This woman, of course, turns out to be Peyton, who has infiltrated Claire's home to pursue a scheme of revenge.

The "... from Hell" genre can sometimes descend into absurdity, "Bad Influence" being a particularly poor example, and this film has several weaknesses. Annabella Sciorra is not particularly memorable as Claire and Matt McCoy even less so as Michael. A pre-stardom Julianne Moore, here appearing in a supporting role, is memorable mainly for the bizarre way in which her character dies. Ernie Hudson, in an embarrassing performance as the Bartels' mentally handicapped handyman Solomon, is memorable for all the wrong reasons. He seems to have been written into the film as a sort of virtue signalling by proxy. (Aren't the Bartels wonderful to provide work for such an unfortunate person?) The plot starts off as tense and efficient but tends to go downhill towards the end.

What holds the film together is the central performance from Rebecca De Mornay as Peyton. It is a performance which operates on three levels. The first, and most superficial, level is that of the ideal nanny, someone both friendly and capable, which initially impresses the Bartels so much and persuades them to employ her. The second level is the one that the audience see, that of the cold, implacable avenger.

Underlying these two levels, however, is the third, that of the woman who believes herself to have been wronged but who lacks any social or legal form of redress. For the wrong Claire suffered at the hands of Dr Mott, she has clear legal remedies open to her via the courts and the medical authorities. But Peyton? For the wrongs she has suffered she has no remedy at all, not against Claire, not against her husband or his estate, not against society in general. The only advice anyone could give her would be to accept her misfortunes philosophically, which seems woefully inadequate. If Peyton is vindictive and evil, life has conspired to make her so. This is the central issue at the heart of this film, and it is a measure of De Mornay's performance that she allows us to see it. We might hate what Peyton does to the Bartel family. And yet, at the deepest level, we can understand the motives and the reasons behind her crimes. The complexity of her character lifts this film well above something like "Bad Influence", Hanson's other essay in the genre. 7/10

I recently watched The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992) on Tubi. The story centers on a woman who reports a wrongful incident involving her OBGYN, leading to the doctor's suicide. Years later, the woman, now with a baby, hires a nanny who turns out to be the wife of the deceased OBGYN, with her own hidden motives.

Directed by Curtis Hanson (L. A. Confidential) and starring Rebecca De Mornay (Risky Business), Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Matt McCoy (Born to Race) and Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights).

I must have seen this film about a hundred times as a kid on HBO; it felt like it was always on. "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" is a thriller with a touch of horror and creepy elements that keep you on edge. The OBGYN scenes are appropriately unsettling, making the viewer uncomfortable, and the story unfolds with clever twists and turns, engaging subplots, and a satisfying full-circle ending. Rebecca De Mornay's methodical approach feels realistic and authentic, and it might just be my favorite Ernie Hudson performance; he's fantastic in this.

In conclusion, this is a worthwhile thriller with intriguing circumstances, well-crafted characters, and smart subplots. I'd rate it a 7-7.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

There's no real suspense when the plot summary gives most of the movie away. I would've preferred to have the nanny's origins a mystery as opposed to literally learning everything from the beginning of the movie. We know she's going to do bad things and none of it is surprising. What is surprising to me is that, being the widow of a monstrous human being, nobody would know her and her face would somehow not be plastered all over the news. Also that a woman needs a live in nanny when she really only needs her during the day (?) and that the mother is literally open to her every suggestion, without question. How on earth did they build up trust so quickly over such a short time period? Like the nanny is in her room watching the mom in her lingerie within a day of employment? It lacks believability. This is almost Hallmark bad. Might be worth a watch if you're bored and nothing else is on, but don't go out of your way to see it.

Long before the acclaim of "L.A. Confidential", director Curtis Hansen offered up this trim, effectively manipulative and suspenseful film. Sciorra is a pregnant woman whose doctor (magnificently slimy de Lancie) molests her during an office visit. The ramifications of her subsequent charges bring about the entrance of De Mornay into her life. De Mornay poses as a nanny and almost immediately wreaks havoc on Sciorra's household, taking charge of it and manipulating the family, all while smiling pleasantly. The story is almost completely implausible and the credibility of the script is stretched further and further as it goes along. However, it matters not because of the sure-handed, inventive direction and the dedicated performance of De Mornay. Taking a cue from Hitchcock, much of the dirty business occurs in daylight among stark white walls and bright outdoor settings. De Mornay insinuates herself into the household and into the minds of the viewer with an unsettling and fascinating malevolence. No one is safe as she meticulously works her dread. Aside from her plots against Sciorra, her shocking behavior includes calling a mentally challenged man a 'retard' and saying the 'F' word to a grade school child. This decidedly un-PC approach is at compelling odds with Sciorra and her yuppie husband who both represent everything annoying and stereotypical about their type and status ('talking' to their kids, 'processing' everything psychologically, et al) They are well off and think they're 'on to' life, yet he's a dim bulb and she overreacts to everything possible. This makes a certain faction of the audience delight in seeing them tormented. Cutting a swath through all the bull is the stunning, fire-breathing, no-nonsense Moore as Sciorra's friend. This is one of the greatest supporting turns of the '90's. She owns every scene she's in, yet ultimately can't beat De Mornay, thus creating a terrific onscreen rivalry right from the start. Moore has never looked this wonderful again, nor essayed this brittle a role, but at least it exists as a monument to her talents at playing a ball-breaking bitch goddess. The excitement leading up to her confrontation with De Mornay is palpable (thanks in part to some great editing.) The male cast is weak. McCoy is often just plain bad and Hudson is embarrassing as a 'slow' handyman. Sciorra does well in a part that does her no favors. The film was a massive (surprise) hit, but she wasn't able to ride it to anything much afterwards. At least De Mornay was briefly lifted to a higher position in the film industry. Moore has fared the best. Zima (in her film debut!) is exceptionally cute as the daughter and does a great job. She later won a role on "The Nanny". The film inspired a raft of imitators featuring killer-sitters, killer-temps, etc... but none found the wide audience that this enjoyed. It's a credit to De Mornay (and Hanson) that despite being petite and feminine, she comes across as chilling and dangerously strong and violent.

Really interesting thriller with a sexy premise that many men would like to experience. Well, not that many but still.

This is a mainstream movie with a plot that has been used several times on the b-industry ("Friend Of The Family II" for example).

The plot is simple but works and it's very well covered by a great cast lead by Rebecca DE Mornay who delivers a psychotic but believable performance. The rest of the cast is also great and makes you care about them.

Well, everything becomes really ugly when De Mornay's character feels left out of the family where she worked for; suddenly she starts killing everyone on her way and even gets a worker of trust fired because of her lies. He then become enemy with the children (yes including the baby) and that's when the mother takes action.

This is an okay thriller that will keep you entertained with the occasional suspense sequences and minimal violence.

Worths a watch if it airs on cable. It has generated somewhat a fan database.

If there's one thing I've learnt from late '80s to mid-'90s thrillers, it's to not welcome a stranger into your home, just in case they've got few marbles missing. In Single White Female (1992) it was a nutty room-mate. Pacific Heights (1990) featured a psycho tenant. Poison Ivy (1992) saw a daughter's sexy best friend causing trouble. The titular character in The Stepfather (1987) was quite deranged. Fatal Attraction (1987) saw the 'other woman' making life hell for a married man. And The Guardian (1990) had a nanny who fed babies to a tree!

It's a nanny that also proves problematic in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. When Claire and Michael Bartel (Annabella Sciorra and Matt McCoy) hire Peyton Flanders (Rebecca De Mornay) to help look after their newborn son, they're blissfully unaware that the woman is actually Mrs. Mott, the wife of the gynaecologist against whom Claire filed a sexual misconduct complaint, driving the man to suicide. Having lost her husband, her home, and her unborn child (she suffered a miscarriage as a result of shock), mad Mrs. Mott is determined to make life hell for Claire and her family.

Skilfully told by director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential), with a truly chilling turn by De Mornay, what might easily have been a forgettable formulaic piece of trash is actually a tense exercise in suspense, Mott's damaged psyche becoming more and more apparent as time goes on. It goes without saying that she is ultimately stopped before achieving her goal, but the ride is a lot of fun, with the nasty nanny sending suspicious simpleton handyman Solomon (Ernie Hudson) packing, turning Claire's daughter Emma (Madeline Zima) against her mother, causing Claire to suspect Michael of adultery, and bumping off inquisitive family friend Marlene (Julianne Moore).

To be honest, I initially felt a bit sorry for Mrs. Mott - after all, she lost everything she had through no fault of her own - but by the time Claire has her inevitable showdown with the vengeful woman, I was baying for blood, desperate to see the loony lady get her comeuppance. Which, of course, she does.

7/10. Not groundbreaking, and a little unbelievable (who hires a nanny without checking references?), but still an effective thriller bolstered by solid performances.

Claire and micheal bartel are awaiting a new baby, but a horrid doctor tries to feel her up and she complains. The man commits suicide and his widowed wife decides to get into the family to try and destroy them as she cant come to terms with the fact her husband was a pedo. The great ernie hudson plays somoman a man thats come to put a fence up and does a good job, we also have julliane moore in this also. Their daughter little emma is very brave with the climax here. Its acted well and I thought made well to as you do get suspense as you go through this film, overall I enjoyed this and its a classic thriller drama.

Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) is about to have her second child and consults gynecologist Dr. Victor Mott (John de Lancie), who examines her in an unprofessional manner. After denouncing him and the case becoming news, he commits suicide. The gynecologist's widow, Peyton Flanders (Rebecca De Mornay), due to the matter and stress, loses her baby at childbirth and begins a revenge against Claire, assuming the role of nanny and infiltrating her family, and little by little ruining the harmony. What happens probably does not seem realistic, but it makes for an enjoyable and entertaining movie. Beware of nannies!

After her humiliated husband kills himself, an embittered pregnant widow (Rebecca DeMornay) loses her child, and embarks on a mission of vengeance against a woman and her family.

What bad can be said about this film? If anything, the role of Solomon could be complained about. Not Ernie Hudson's portrayal, which is pretty good, but the very idea of having a mentally challenged man played by someone who is not. It seems off, just a bit, and some may even find it offensive.

What is most interesting is the role filled by Julianne Moore. Honestly, I did not even recognize her! And it is pretty incredible that she is not credited on the back of the DVD case, or on the front. One might think since her rise in stardom ,they would rebrand the film to showcase her...

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is a very solid thriller thanks to naturalism and realism. This is one of the best thrillers ever made, and it's just too bad it did not get the attention and praise it deserves. For one thing, we've seen many thrillers that lacked realism while some were not thrilling at all.

HTRTC has it all. A solid story, solid cast, good directing and best of all, a high level of realism. The story can actually happen to any family in America, or anywhere in the world. The cast is great, and even though there's basically no "big name phenomenon" (well, Julian Moore's now very popular but not yet here) in this film, the performances are very good. In fact, great! Rebecca De Mornay, who's young and very beautiful in this film, has the best performance as the smart-beautiful-deadly Peyton. She's very convincing as both wife and nanny, as well as temptress and killer!

Take note of some of the "sinful scenes" in this movie. Some scenes can be very disturbing (not disgusting) but if you're matured enough, then you'll get over this movie well. The "sinful scenes" do make a wake-up call in your family life. Heck, better watch out for those evil nannies!

I highly recommend watching this movie, even though it does not have any big superstardom at all. No special effects, no high tech gimmicks, no big super stars, just a great story to watch. What are you waiting for? Put your Hand on the Cradle and Rock!

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!

The Hand That Rocks Cradle is a very mediocre movie with a promising storyline that just ends up not being very interesting and an uninspired cast.The movie is considered a thriller,but there wasn't one time in this film that I felt in anyway thrilled or excited by what was going on,at times when things did get dramatic,it was just too predictable to feel any thrills.Rebecca De Mornay delivers an interesting performance and she is certainly the movies highlight,but it would have been more enjoyable if there was a bit of mystery behind her character instead of spoon feeding the audience every single thing she does.The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is undeniably boring and filled with plot holes,I think everyone would be better off avoiding this one.

A doctors wife goes looking for revenge after her husband commits suicide amid accusations of abuse from some of his patients.

Best Performance: Rebecca De Mornay Worst Performance: Annabella Sciorra