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 Thompson	...	Tom Broadbent (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
Zully Montero	...	Graciella
Craig Henne	...	Prisoner
Forest Burton	...	Prisoner
Edgar Allan Poe IV	...	Prisoner
Rod Ball	...	Prisoner

Storyline

Imprisoned for brutally assaulting a young girl, Max Cady spends his time in jail wisely - reading literature, sculpting his body to perfection and planning his violent revenge on the defence lawyer who put him behind bars. After serving his fourteen year sentence, Cady is released from prison and his rampage begins.

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Plot Keywords:

rapist | revenge | cigar smoking | violence | houseboat | 

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Taglines:

The Bowden family has moved to New Essex.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Richardson auditioned for the position of cinematographer, but lost out to Freddie Francis. Martin Scorsese, a staunch admirer of Richardson's work with his former New York University student Oliver Stone, remembered Richardson when he was preparing to direct Casino (1995).

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Goofs

Even at the time this movie was made, there were already stalking laws in all states across the country, which read that "any person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows or harasses another person, and makes a credible threat with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of death or bodily injury, commits the offense of aggravated stalking." Thus, Sam could have easily had Cady arrested and sent back to prison, precluding everything else that followed.

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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

Featured in Rich Hall's the Dirty South (2010)

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Soundtracks

Do Right Woman--Do Right Man
Written by Dan Penn and Chips Moman
Performed by Aretha Franklin
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Not Scorcese's best, but pretty good!

Martin Scorcese's filmography as director is one of the most accomplished in modern film history. While Cape Fear can't even hold a candle next to "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas", it is still a fabulous remake of the 1962 noir classic and it keeps the viewer on the edge right through until the closing credits.

Robert De Niro (in yet another brilliant teaming with Scorcese behind the camera) plays Max Cady, a psychopathic rapist who was sent to jail 14 years earlier for such crimes. He leaves prison with vengeance. Not for his victims or his prosecutor, but his defence councillor, Sam J. Bowden, played by Nick Nolte. It seems Bowden did not defend Cady to the best of his ability. Cady knows this and wants some payback.

Cady's initial return into Bowden's life could not have come at a worse time. Bowden has been forced to move his family to Florida after his infidelities threatened his marriage and career. His wife is distrustful and worst of all, Bowden is on the verge of beginning another affair with a female workmate. Added to that, his daughter is at the difficult age of 15.

Almost by ozmosis, Cady understands these problems in the Bowden household and acts on them. He begins terrorising Bowden and his whole family, taking it from one extreme to the next.

What makes Cape Fear such a good film is the rapidly increasing sense of claustrophobia. Scorcese makes a point of using almost only close up shots towards the end of the film. It is a great touch that makes the viewer that much more scared as the film goes on.

Along with that, Robert De Niro is superb as Cady. Only occasionally does the role slip into parody. Mostly he is expertly evil.

Nick Nolte is good if not great, the same for Jessica Lange as Leigh Bowden. It seems as if they were void of any great lines in this film, which is unfortunate given their immense talent. Julliette Lewis is absolutely brilliant as the young daughter, Danielle. She slips effortlessly between curious sexual awakenings, rebellious teen and straight thinking woman. Add in small roles for Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck (the leads of the 1962 version) and you have a great ensemble cast.

So not the best Scorcese film ever, but some tight editing, great camerawork, a haunting theme and devilishly over-the-top acting help make this a frighteningly fun movie to watch. Strongly recommended.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cape Fear

Filming Locations:

H Stage, Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,261,025, 17 November 1991

Gross USA:

$79,091,969

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$182,291,969

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1