Cape Fear (1991)

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

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

John D. MacDonald (novel), James R. Webb (earlier screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Max Cady
Nick Nolte	...	Sam Bowden
Jessica Lange	...	Leigh Bowden
Juliette Lewis	...	Danielle Bowden
Joe Don Baker	...	Claude Kersek
Robert Mitchum	...	Lieutenant Elgart
Gregory Peck	...	Lee Heller
Martin Balsam	...	Judge
Illeana Douglas	...	Lori Davis
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Tom Broadbent
Zully Montero	...	Graciella
Craig Henne	...	Prisoner
Forest Burton	...	Prisoner
Edgar Allan Poe IV	...	Prisoner
Rod Ball	...	Prisoner

Storyline

Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte)is a small-town corporate attorney/"Leave It to Beaver" type family-man. Max Cady (Robert De Niro) is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, bible-quoting, rapist. What do they have in common? Fourteen years, ago Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey, bibliophile Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | violence | houseboat | home invasion | bible quote | 

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Taglines:

There is nothing in the dark that isn't there in the light. Except fear.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cabo de miedo

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$79,100,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$103,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Entertainment, Cappa Films, Tribeca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (as Dolby Stereo SR)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Juliette Lewis developed a crush on Robert De Niro during the scene in the drama class.

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Goofs

Sam orders the "hospital job" against Max Cady in the hope that Cady will leave the Bowden family alone afterwards. During the actual attack, Cady takes eighteen repeated heavy blows with metal pipes all over his body and then stands up to fight back, a complete impossibility. Max Cady would have been dead.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Danielle: My reminiscence. I always thought that for such a lovely river the name is mystifying: "Cape Fear". When the only thing to fear on those enchanted summer nights was that the magic would end and real life would come crashing in.

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Crazy Credits

At the start of the film, when the Universal Pictures logo appears on screen, instead by studio's theme, sounds from the thunders and rainy is heard, and the logo changes of Egyptian ripple waters.

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Alternate Versions

SPOILER: When the movie was originally shown on network television, the blood left by Kersek's killing was optically removed by censors and replaced by a clean tile floor.

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Connections

Referenced in The Faculty (1998)

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Soundtracks

Don't Mess with the Voodoo
Written by Graham Drout, Bob Hamphill, Nick Kane and Joe Smith
Performed by Iko Iko
From "Snowstorm In The Jungle" on Kingsnake Records

User Reviews

Seeking Retribution

Robert De Niro plays Max Cady, an illiterate criminal who has been imprisoned for fourteen years on rape and battery charges. Nick Nolte plays Sam Bowden, Cady's lawyer who intentionally buried a valuable document, which may have allowed Cady's prison sentence to be significantly shorter. Cady learns to read while in prison. He starts with 'See Spot Run,' then proceeds to study law books. Cady's rage and desire for revenge grows with each additional day that he is in prison. Although Cady's original prison sentence was only eight years, it is increased to fourteen years due to battery of another inmate. He memorizes the Bible and tattoos his body with scripture referring to vengeance. When Cady is finally released from prison, he immediately seeks out Bowden and his family. Cady has become a scripture slinging psychopath hell bent on revenge. The director Martin Scorsese is attempting to prove that everyone has skeletons in their closet. Bowden might appear to be a terrific lawyer and loving family man on the surface, but underneath the perfect image lies a cheating husband and corrupt lawyer. Scorsese also shows how powerful the emotion of revenge can be and how it can distort ones version of what is right and wrong. Scorsese demonstrates this by showing Cady's knowledge of scripture and his acceptance of the terror that he is inflicting on the Bowden family. Scorsese's use of cameo appearances by Robert Mithcum and Gregory Peck was brilliant. The fact that they played such opposite roles in the original film was an interesting twist. I enjoyed the original 1962 version more than this remake, but I feel that the blood being in color definitely added to the terror that this film inflicts.