MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 842 this week

Cape Fear (1962)

 -  Thriller  -  12 April 1962 (USA)
7.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.7/10 from 14,964 users  
Reviews: 136 user | 65 critic

A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 203 titles created 03 Sep 2011
 
a list of 1268 titles created 10 months ago
 
a list of 235 titles created 15 Sep 2011
 
a list of 3595 titles created 1 month ago
 
a list of 10 titles created 18 Nov 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Cape Fear (1962)

Cape Fear (1962) on IMDb 7.7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Cape Fear.

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Cape Fear (1991)
Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a 14 year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange
Goodfellas (1990)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.8/10 X  

Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Crime | Drama | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.

Director: Terence Young
Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna
The Godfather (1972)
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9.2/10 X  

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

An FBI undercover agent infilitrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one.

Director: Mike Newell
Stars: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen
Heat (1995)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

A group of professional bank robbers start to feel the heat from police when they unknowingly leave a clue at their latest heist.

Director: Michael Mann
Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
Batman (1989)
Action | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker.

Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger
Fargo (1996)
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.2/10 X  

Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

Director: Joel Coen
Stars: William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.6/10 X  

A professional assassin rescues a teenage girl whose parents were killed in a police raid.

Director: Luc Besson
Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman
Blood Simple. (1984)
Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple.

Director: Joel Coen
Stars: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9/10 X  

The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Collateral (2004)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in LA. He must find a way to save both himself and one last victim.

Director: Michael Mann
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Lori Martin ...
...
...
Attorney Dave Grafton
...
...
Paul Comi ...
George Garner
John McKee ...
Officer Marconi
Page Slattery ...
Deputy Kersek
Ward Ramsey ...
Officer Brown
...
Judge
...
Dr. Pearsall
...
Waitress
Edit

Storyline

Small-town lawyer Sam Bowden's life becomes torturous when Max Cady re-enters his life. Cady went to jail for 8 years after Bowden testified that Cady attacked a young woman. Now that Cady has been released, he begins to terrorize Bowden and his family, particularly targeting Bowden's daughter, Nancy. Initially, Cady uses his newfound knowledge of the law (learned in prison) to annoy the Bowdens, then poisons the family dog... Who's next ? Written by Chris Holland <cholland@atlantic.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Unparalleled suspense... as one becomes a target for nightmare.. the other becomes his target for execution! (insert) See more »

Genres:

Thriller

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

12 April 1962 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Executioners  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film contains one of the few instances of a correct depiction of what someone sees when looking through binoculars. In most films, what is shown resembles a sideways figure 8 (i.e. side by side magnified images, one for each eyepiece). But what one really sees is a single round magnified image, the same as what you see when looking into the eyepiece of a telescope. See more »

Goofs

The launch in which the Bowden family travels to the houseboat has a full windshield. Later, when Sam leaves by himself, only the windshield's frame is present; the glass is gone. See more »

Quotes

[last lines]
Max Cady: [Bowden has shot Cady and is holding the gun on him] Go ahead. I just don't give a damn.
Sam Bowden: No. No! That would be letting you off too easy, too fast. Your words - do you remember? Well I do. No, we're gonna take good care of you. We're gonna nurse you back to health. And you're strong, Cady. You're gonna live a long life... in a cage! That's where you belong and that's where you're going. And this time for life! Bang your head against the walls. Count the years - the months - the hours....
See more »

Connections

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Effective and somewhat ahead of it's time
6 July 2002 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

There's nothing worse than a con who knows his way around the law,and exploits that knowledge to the hilt.Robert Mitchum does this very expertly in the original and best version of Cape Fear.You want to reach out and strangle him,but he is within the law,so you can't.This is the appeal of this film.It's the fuel that keeps it going from start to finish.Along with Mitchum,we have Gregory Peck as the tormented lawyer who sent Mitchum's character,Max Cady to jail for rape years earlier. Having studied law while behind bars,Cady's only intent with his gathering of this knowledge,is to torment Sam Bowden(Peck) and his family.It all leads to a classic finish.I truly believe that this film was a precursor to the thriller films of today.It was a sign of things to come in the cinematic world.It was way ahead of it's time.Worthy of note here is Robert Mitchum's ability to improvise almost to the point of becoming his character.The scene where he cracks the egg with his bare hand was not scripted,and the look of surprise on Polly Bergen's face was indeed real.Outstanding film.


46 of 59 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
de niro vs. mitchum mascisman
Was the wife sexually assaulted? eastcoastguyz
Why Not Top 250 fernandezpablo85
Robert Mitchum terrifies me......... phoebe4353
Why Did Diane Taylor Go On Date With Cady? louis-king
A goof I noticed heymanitschels
Discuss Cape Fear (1962) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?