The remake also adds the element that lawyer Sam is somewhat responsible for his own dilemma and makes him more guilty. Unlike in the original, Max was his client, and Sam put up a mediocre defense and even broke attorney privilege to make sure Cady went to jail. Sam was also an adulterer in the remake, making his marriage the less-than-perfect one than was presented in the original. Also the daughter was more seductive in the remake.
"Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!"
Absolutely - the original is definitely classier too. Maybe it has a lot to do with Nick Nolte having to play a part that *Gregory Peck* played. An awful lot to live up to. And I think Robert Mitchum was a lot more menacing than De Niro simply because a lot of the violence was left to the audience's imagination.
Eagles may soar in the clouds, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.
The two films are very different in substance. The basic stories are similar in that Cady comes out of prison envying Bowden's life and holding a grudge of some sort culminating in him stalking his family. The characters however are different. In the original the family is well to do instead of being damaged and Cady's motives are different. The remake is tighter and a lot more interesting.