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John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, Steven Bauer, Frances Sternhagen, Gregg Henry ... see more see more... , Tom Bower , Mel Harris , Teri Austin , Gabrielle Carteris , Barton Heyman , Amanda Pombo , Kathleen Callan , Riq Boogie Espinoza , Cindy Girard , Ed Hooks , Karen Kahn , Noe Montoya , Carolyn Morrell , Steve Schill , Allen W. Taylor , Scott Townley , Mary Uhland , James Van Harper , Jim Johnson , Pam Dixon Mickelson

A complicated thriller, directed with great visual style by Brian De Palma, Raising Cain is the story of twin brothers, Carter and Josh (John Lithgow), one good and one evil, who will stop at nothing ... read more read more...to find children to further their father's psychological experiments. John Lithgow is outstanding in the role of the brothers. Lolita Davidovich, is also good as his wife Jenny, who he may or may not have murdered. To even identify the other characters would give away too much of the complicated plot, which twists and turns, leaving the audience constantly guessing who is really who. The film is darkly comic and De Palma and his unusual plot devices play homage to Alfred Hitchcock, along with Orson Welles and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

Flixster Users

41% liked it

9,216 ratings

Critics

55% liked it

20 critics

R, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Brian DePalma

Release Date: January 1, 1992

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DVD Release Date: September 8, 1998

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Stats: 313 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (313)

  • kenstachnik
    June 6, 2011
    kenstachnik
    While not quite as crazy it's main character(s), Raising Cain has some pretty nuts twists and turns. Not DePalma's best, but far from his worst too.
  • ythelastman89
    March 30, 2010
    ythelastman89
    A misunderstood movie that is almost as bizarre and comical in nature as Body Double. Brian De Palmaâ??s style really shines here, due to the fact that he plays perfectly with insanity. His shots make sense more than they do in some of his other work. To make this what it is thou... read moregh, it wouldnâ??t be complete without someone like John Lithgow. He gives such a scarily funny performance(s) as a man gone crazy in four different ways. The plot is very much a homage to Psycho, but even more on the edge of insanity. Whether itâ??s kidnapping babies or dressing like Margot, Carter is quite the multiple personalities victim. I would only suggest watching it if you get Brian De Palmaâ??s style, otherwise you will be completely lost and write it off as silly.
  • romy861
    December 24, 2008
    romy861
    Very good, once I could figure out what was going on!
  • thmtsang
    July 19, 2008
    thmtsang
    This thrillers' content is very disturbing, so not for the faint-hearted. An evil Dr performs strange experiments on children.
  • pier007
    February 19, 2008
    pier007
    John Lithgow's disturbing and wicked multiple roles are the only appealing element of a tiresome thriller with dozens of themes previously displayed in Hitchcock films (freudianism, voyeurism, split personality, etc) Brian DePalma revered the master of suspense with good results ... read more(sisters, obsession, dressed to kill, body double) but here he just missed the point.
  • 76Majikat
    January 29, 2008
    76Majikat
    I'm not sure how this film got into my film collection, it's as corny as hell, but for that reason, I found it quite amusing.
  • harrycaul
    December 14, 2007
    harrycaul
    This is one of those crazy little Hitchcockian thrillers that De Palma churns out between big-budget Hollywood assignments. Here, besides obvious nods to "Psycho" and a host of other movies, he finds time to reference his own "Sisters" and "Dressed To Kill". John Lithgow is great... read more, playing multiple roles, Pino Donaggio contributes a good score and there are a couple of superb orchestrated camera movements. If you accept it on its own barmy terms this is a lot of fun.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    August 17, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    Plot twists galore and some great suspense. Not quite a masterpiece because of some of the over-the-top performances. But it's quite interesting and has some really cool scenes. Yup, a lot of it feels like Hitchcock, but that's a good thing. There's a sense of menace throughout. ... read moreI liked the child psychology and abduction plot elements. There are various good shock scenes. Recommended.
  • deano
    October 23, 2006
    deano
    Strange thriller and confused stuff with reality and dreams mixed so much we are in danger of going as mad as John Lithgow's character.
  • Godless
    March 13, 2006
    Godless
    The twist is that John Lithgow is an alien who tries to fit in.

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Critic Reviews

Eric Henderson
August 19, 2006
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

Rather than clarifying, De Palma's technique with Raising Cain effectively obliterates the audience's bearings. Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
January 24, 2006
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

A respectable if overly campy De Palma thriller. Like the director's Body Double, this plays better the second time you watch it.

Clint Morris
October 29, 2005
Clint Morris, Moviehole

Creepy and effective

Alex Sandell
July 19, 2005
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Weak thriller. Lost potential. Lithgow is good.

Jon Niccum
November 26, 2003
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World

De Palma's worst film

Ken Hanke
August 26, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Laughably awful

Jeffrey Westhoff
July 26, 2002
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Brian De Palma's cruel joke on his fans.

Shane Burridge
August 24, 2001
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews

De Palma is a director who has managed to annoy as many people as he's won over, so why should this movie be any different?

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Lawrence Cohn
March 26, 2009
Lawrence Cohn, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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    • Josh: Hickory, Dickory, Dock, Cain has picked his lock, He's done a bad deed, Now Josh comes to bleed, Hickory, Dickory, Dock
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Raising Cain Trivia

  • In this underrated thriller by Brian De Palma, John Lithgow plays a psycho with multiple personalities.  Answer »
  • what connects the movies raising cain, dead ringers and the man in the iron mask?  Answer »
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