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Just one more

Cape fear must be seen in perspective, you can not forget that this is a Martin Scorsese Picture, One of the greatest directors ever, and then, comes to one`s mind, How he did this?, this is just another movie, one of the bunch. De Niro acting is good but not remarkable, the story is great but the ritym semms to break it so many times that by the end I was just "please, another twist".So the film was not bad, but please, this is in the bottom of Mr scorsese pictures.

This is good "Fear"

Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear dresses itself up as a thriller where an outsider attempts to destroy a family, but that is not a completely accurate description. It is instead a film about a man who uses the decay at the core of this family unit to rot away the ties that bind, and by doing so, make them easier prey. While it isn't completely successful, Scorsese's film is an effective drama about the darkness that is hiding within us all.Cape Fear is a remake of a 1962 film of the same name, which starred Gregory Peck as lawyer Sam Bowden and Robert Mitchum as ex-con Max Cady, the roles portrayed here by Nick Nolte and Robert DeNiro (Peck and Mitchum both make cameo appearances). Bowden is a former public defender who defended Max Cady at his rape trial 14 years earlier. Cady, a rather despicable fellow, was convicted, but it turns out that Bowden had performed a history of the girl he raped and found that she was promiscuous, but Bowden considered Cady so detestable that he buried the report and allowed Cady to be found guilty. 14 years later, Cady, who taught himself to read and study the law while in prison, is released and goes looking for Bowden. Cady discovered the truth about the report while in prison, and has decided that Bowden must pay for his failure to provide an adequate defense and keep him out of prison. Bowden, meanwhile, is settling into a new, calmed life after going through some difficulties with his wife, Leigh (Jessica Lange). Their daughter, Danielle (Juliette Lewis) has also seen some rough spots recently, having been caught smoking marijuana at school. Sam's prior infidelity has caused cracks in the family, and Cady arrives and quickly begins to attempt to take advantage of these fissures. A law clerk Sam is friendly with, but not having an affair with, Lori (Illeana Douglas), is picked up in a bar by Cady and beaten, but she is so familiar with the system that she does not want to press charges. Sam hires a private detective, Kersek (Joe Don Baker) to shadow Cady, but as events unfold, Sam begins to look like the one harassing Cady to the law, not the other way around.The Bowden clan at first appears to be a rather normal group: successful lawyer father, graphic designer mother, young, pretty daughter. Yet, there is weakness aplenty in this triumvirate. Sam was unfaithful to his wife in the past, and she has apparently never completely forgiven him, so when Cady makes his move on Lori, Leigh is quick to assume that it is the same as in the past and accuses Sam of cheating. Danielle, in the midst of puberty, finds Cady somewhat charming and seductive, as he uses his considerable abilities of manipulation to attempt to make her more sympathetic to him, knowing that she is not on the best of terms with her parents after the incident with the marijuana. Sam is also tainted by his past, when he buried the report on Cady, believing that he should see justice, but not fulfilling his requirements as his lawyer. Scorsese and screenwriter Wesley Strick mine the sides of our personalities that we all attempt to keep hidden, the flip side to the proper American family, the dark truths we all pretend not to see. This is a family falling victim to a marauders advance by succumbing to the weaknesses inherent in their own tortured pasts. Cady is not a standup citizen by any means, he preys on the family through their dark recesses, but he would not be so successful without those cracks in the foundation.Robert DeNiro extends himself into somewhat new territory with the character of Max Cady. Cady is a man who believes himself betrayed by the one man who was supposed to be his advocate and has appointed himself a soldier of God to bring Sam Bowden to the same level of justice and loss that he himself experienced in prison. Cady is a muscled, brutal man who has a rather intense streak of intelligence that belies his outward appearance of poor white trash. He is no fool, and it is his nose for human weakness and frailty that makes him so successful at his task. DeNiro is effective in the role of Max Cady and gives a tour de force performance as a madman out for revenge.Nick Nolte is also effective as Sam Bowden, who doesn't view his choices as wrong, and now finds himself at the mercy of a madman due to an action that seemed morally proper at the time. The law doesn't provide much support, as Cady works Sam up into a frenzy and making him appear to be stalking Cady. He must also confront the unhappiness of his wife, and the rebelliousness of his daughter, and quickly finds himself in a pressure cooker that seems to have no release. Nolte portrays a man being ratcheted up notch by notch, ready to blow at a moment's notice as his world collapses around him. Juliette Lewis is also a standout as the young, impressionable Danielle. She is not sure what to make of Cady, a man who is both intriguing and creepy at the same time. She hears her father talk about how bad he is, while she finds him to be in touch with her concerns and feelings at the mid-teen years.Visually, Scorsese uses as lot of quick camera movements and fast zoom-ins to heighten the tension in various scenes. He also elects to adapt Bernard Herrmann's score from the original film and Herrmann's thundering brass and heavy strings prove a bit more bombastic than today's modern, more subdued scores, but which set the mood appropriately.Scorsese and Strick don't quite wrap everything up at the end, but nonetheless, Cape Fear is a worthwhile look into the human heart of darkness.

"I don't wanna hear ya, I don't wanna see ya, and I don't wanna smell ya. Now leave"

This chilling, but entertaining and engaging remake of the sinister, Gothic 1961 thriller Cape Fear wasn't bad actually. The writers were able to bring more depth and realism into the story and characters. Of course, being 1990s, the film was NOT filmed in black or white, but in color and both the villain and the (flawed?) "hero" are colored the same - there is good and bad in all of us. We are able to see Bob de Niro at his cartoonish best, who is as funny as he is scary.In a reconstructed story that follows more closely to the John McDonald novel than the original, a psychopath (Max Cady)is released from prison and then plans to take revenge against his lawyer (Sam Bowdon)who purposely withdrew some evidence that could have lightened his sentence, particularly targeting his teen aged daughter (Danielle). Sam tries to seek help from a detective, who suggests beating ups and death traps set within his own house. Sam then realizes in order to fight an animal, he must be one himself, and must sink lower to Cady's level to get rid of him before it's too late.With Scorses directing this, it is no surprises that this movie is more violent than the original, and more gory too. Scorcses had turned Max Cady into a reptilian, tattooed, Bible-quoting, buff maniac who manages to sweet talk at everybody, getting them all baffled, before he pounds them into an oblivion. His very treatment of women is utterly disgusting and sleazy, which alarms and repulses Sam's wife, and fascinates the young, impressionable Danielle.I was more than a little surprised the Scorsces got the original cast (Bob Mitchum, Gregory Peck and Martin Balasm) to star in this one as minor characters. Mitchum (who was the original Max Cady) is on Bowdon's side. It is sorta funny in the strip search scene where Mitchum's character notes the tattoos on Max Cady, and, in a statement which makes Mitchum look like a parent to the modern version of himself, as if he was some sort of a reviewer: "Gee! I don't know whether to look at him or read him!" Again, good thriller, but not one for the squeamish, for it deals explicitly with rape, torture, beatings up, harassment, violence, blood, animal killings, child pedophilia, and tense family turmoils. Elmer Bertstein was able to bring out the eeriness of the original composer's score, and the dense, depressed settings of the family house and the Cape Fear swamp adds more realism to the dreaded state of the store.8/10

The worst horror movie I've ever seen!

The 1991 remake of "Cape Fear" is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Not only because it's graphically violent, but also it's horribly acted by most of its cast. I've never been a big Robert DeNiro fan, because he seems to play the same type of character in almost every movie he's in: the brutal, foul-mouthed tough guy who beats people up every chance he gets. In "Cape Fear", he plays that exact character, only this time it's in a slasher film rather than a drama. Juliette Lewis also overacts as the teenage daughter and Nick Nolte fares no better. Jessica Lange is alright but forgetable. Ultimately, for those who have not seen this movie, stay away and rent a more psychological horror/thriller like "Misery" or the 1963 version of "The Haunting".

An excellent remake! Scorsese and De Niro deliver yet again!

Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of the 1962 thriller stars Robert De Niro as Max Cady (in an Oscar nominated performance), a recently released from prison ex-con, who seeks revenge, therefore decides to stalk and terrorize his lawyer's family (his wife, played by Jessica Lange, and 15 year old daughter, played by Juliette Lewis, who was also nominated for an Oscar) after figuring out that his lawyer, Sam Bowden (played by Nick Nolte), hid a document from his once illiterate client that could have gotten his sentence revoked. Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum from the original appear in this film as well, and it was nice to see them.For his role in "Cape Fear", De Niro researched sexual predator crimes for the part and suggested the scene where his character bites the victim. De Niro paid a dentist $5,000 to make his teeth look suitably bad for the role of Max Cady. After filming, he paid $20,000 to have them fixed. De Niro did a lot of working out several months before the movie and during the shoot to make him the muscular Max Cady, reportedly taking his body fat down to only 3%.In the end: The performances are amazing, Martin Scorsese's direction is excellent as usual, and Freddie Francis' cinematography is stunning. This film will keep you on the edge of your seat as you see Max Cady begin to terrorize Sam Bowden and his whole family, taking it from one extreme to the next.Recommended!

Much more than a remake

Critical comparisons between this film and J. Lee Thompson's brilliant 1962 adaptation of the excellent John D. MacDonald novel "The Executioners" are bound to be misguided and ill-conceived. Thompson's film threw Gregory Peck's innocent family of beautiful people to the mercies of an intensely sleazy Robert Mitchum. By contrast, Martin Scorsese's reworking features a modern family who are familiar with sinful indulgence, and are terrorized by a far more vicious Robert De Niro. While the earlier of the two films presents clearly defined moral boundaries, the latter indulges in relativism and uncertainty. The repulsive Max Cady was disturbing when performed by Mitchum and terrifying when reinterpreted though De Niro, but the squeaky-clean family of the first go-round is certainly not the dysfunctional group of the remake.

The point is, if you want to see the original "Cape Fear," go watch it, because this isn't it, not by a long shot. Thompson's vision of McDonald's novel is a tense, humane, relatively understated presentation of an outrageously audacious crime drama, and it deserves its' recognition as a genuine classic.

On the other hand, Scorsese's handling of the source material is bloody and overblown, sometimes crossing the line from audacity into outright intentional kitsch. There's no doubt that he had a lot of fun making this, as he emphasizes the black humor of the script just as prominently as its' shocking brutality. For some (including myself), this is a film that demands attention through its' sheer viciousness; it's a truly lurid spectacle. For others, it's a melodramatic, unwatchable mess that wastes the impressive talents of its' cast and crew. I can't say with certainty that either perspective is necessarily more valid than the other!

But whatever you think of it, anyone who denies "Cape Fear" as a technical accomplishment is demonstrably ignorant. Scorsese deftly implements swift zooms, breakneck panning and claustrophobic close-ups to effectively heighten tension and emphasize expression. In the hands of another, far less capable director (Jonathan Demme comes to mind) these techniques come off as obnoxious and pretentious. But coupled with the vibrant, pristine cinematography of Freddie Francis and Thelma Schoonmaker's typically intricate editing, all the nuances of the impressive performances on display here are accentuated. Along with "The Color Of Money" and "Goodfellas," this is surely one of Scorsese's most visually impressive efforts. Elmer Bernstein's eerie reworking of Bernard Herrmann's devastating score for the original film is pervasively effective; the softer of the string-driven passages are especially chilling.

Nolte is perfect in the lead: his Sam Bowden is the embodiment of harried aggravation in all his buttoned-down Aryan glory. By contrast, De Niro's Max Cady is a far cry from Mitchum's shrewd, intimidating con man; this reinvention of the character is insanely obsessive, vicious and determined, alternating between a magnified Nietzschean self-awareness and Biblical self-righteousness. Cady went into prison as a savage, illiterate rapist and found both God and himself in the worst possible way over the course of fourteen excruciating years. He emerges on parole as a brawny, disciplined, well-read and extremely amorous self-proclaimed übermensch on the prowl for revenge and sex. His target is pretty ideal: not only did his former public defender (Nolte) sell him out by withholding evidence during his trial, he also obtained a juicy wife (Lange) and sired a cutie (Lewis) of a daughter while Cady was in the clink. It doesn't take much imagination to predict what this ex-con has planned.

Although the performances of the two male leads demand attention, the real star of the film is Jessica Lange, whose alternately sensuous and brutalized portrayal of Bowden's troubled, sexy spouse is nothing short of astounding. Lange owns every scene where she's prominently featured, conveying her character's desperation, disappointment and terror with disconcerting conviction. Lewis is also impressive as the vulnerable, sexually curious daughter; in the film's most perverse scene, De Niro attempts to seduce her with simultaneously titillating and repulsive results.

Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam are cast in a trio of small roles in homage to the original film, but those three veterans conduct themselves admirably in their short scenes. Peck is especially impressive as a typically eloquent southern prosecutor (replete in a white three-piece suit!). This brief cameo was Peck's last performance in a feature film, and it wasn't a bad way for him to finish his career.

As always, De Niro honed his body and persona with equal fervor for this role: lean and muscular, he delivers a convincing southern drawl. Nolte and most of the other Yankees of the cast capably follow suit and feel quite congruous amidst the genuine southerners: character actor, former senator and current Presidential nominee Fred Thompson and perennial good old boy Joe Don Baker in what's probably his last notable dramatic role.

The characters, themes and plot of this film are far more complex than those of the original. Bowden is hardly a man of moral integrity, and Cady, while reprehensible, certainly has a legitimate cause for his hatred. In many ways, the heightened moral relativism of the film makes it a more disorienting experience. In the original film, the audience knew who to root for. Here, the characters are intriguing and admirable in certain ways, but never enough to warrant sympathy. I certainly don't mind the film's violence, but Cady's makeshift trial on a squall-battered houseboat in the penultimate scene really is pretty silly. It's a shame that Scorsese and screenwriter Wesley Strick resorted to such a cheap, goofy contrivance, especially considering that their efforts produced what's otherwise an impressive retelling of a fine story.

It's strange to me that "Cape Fear" is regarded as one of Scorsese's lesser films; while it has its' flaws, it's certainly better than most of what he directed in the '90s and 2000s, and it's infused with a certain authenticity that used to be a trademark of Scorsese films. Frankly, I'd prefer for Marty to stop making movies with a tacky coat of gloss and return to gritty, outrageous filmmaking like this. It's hardly his best effort, but the production design is distinct, the performances are excellent and the movie at least elicits a strong response from me. I certainly can't say the same for "Kundun," "Bringing Out the Dead" and "Gangs of New York."

Where ever you are there is fear.

Sam and his family live a pretty happy life. Sam works as a lawyer and has a pretty good sized house and a happy family. Then one day an old friend who he was defending gets out of prison and comes back for revenge. Max Cady starts to stalk Sam and his family. Robert DeNiro plays the part flawlessly as a super stalker. It was excellent watching him act out this part. The whole time I was watching this movie I kept thinking about "The Simpsons" episode that takes from the movie. I was comparing Max Cady to Side Show Bob and seeing which scenes were the same. The difference is that "The Simpsons" episode is funny and this movie is just super scary. I would suggest watching it on a sunny afternoon like I did. It just gave me the chills.

Scorsese ultra-violence.

"Cape Fear" is done is such a bizarre style it's hard to know what exactly it's saying. Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, Bringing out the Dead) directs this tale of retribution with a pure dose of pulp. The character of Max Cady (De Niro) is required to be so over-the-top that it would have been a mistake to be serious about the subject matter.Not to say that it isn't scary or intense. Quite the opposite, in fact. The tension builds to the end of the film, where the obligatory showdown commences. Cady comes back so many times, that it seems almost supernatural.A great thriller on the whole.7.4 out of 10

"Every man has to go through hell to reach paradise..."

Very few thrillers stand out like Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear." It's a terrifying ride that frightens us to the very core. It shakes you violently and paints an intense picture of revenge that is taken to a whole different level. This is a dark and brutal film that doesn't let you off easy for a single second.

Attorney Sam Bowden appears to have the perfect life upon simple examination. He has a loving wife and daughter, a very nice home, and a pretty successful and providing career. Things take a drastic turn when Max Cady is released from prison after serving a term of fourteen years. Cady was once represented by Bowden and is now looking for a little payback, as he feels that his former attorney didn't do everything he possibly could to keep him out of prison. Now, Sam must realize the present danger that is before him, as not only is his life in absolute danger--but also his family and everybody else he loves and cares for. The stakes have never been higher.

This is an absolutely disturbing film that pulls no punches. It's a very uneasy movie to watch, and yet it is so well done that it is hard NOT to watch. Robert De Niro is extremely terrifying as the vengeful "Max Cady" who is out and about, looking to settle the score. This is definitely a signature role for De Niro, as this would be one of his many roles that he will be remembered for most. Nick Nolte also gives a remarkable performance that adds a human quality to his character. The movie is well written and is perfectly executed frame by frame. It plays like a Hitchcock film on ecstasy. Martin Scorsese flawlessly directs this horrifying picture and knows what strings to pull to get a reaction from us. Be warned, this is not a movie for those who have weak stomachs or faint hearts.

The DVD does a splendid job when it comes to doing the movie the justice that it deserves. The picture quality is great--it is such a relief that I don't have to deal with the terrible laserdisc version that had the most horrendous picture quality. The sound quality is also great, and you even get the chance to watch it in DTS, if your system carries it. There are some cool extras for DVD fanatics, with extras like featurettes, deleted scenes, production notes, a theatrical trailer and more. Surely, there will be some who will want more for a film of this caliber, but the overall presentation is more than satisfactory.

"Cape Fear" is a relentless thriller that is terrifying and suspenseful. The movie has an excellent cast, a great script, and an extremely talented director behind it all. Again, the movie is very intense and isn't recommended for those who have weak hearts and don't like scenes with graphic and disturbing violence. This is definitely a classic that will always be around in the fine world of cinema. -Michael Crane

Great, I liked the original better

* Minor Spoilers ahead*This is indeed a good movie. Scorsese and de niro are a great team and this is one more powerful movie from them. ( After, taxi driver, goodfellas, raging bull...)Scorsese has tried to port this movie to modern times, by having family conflicts and a typical psychopathic villain(de niro), and he is successful. But I feel the original movie scores over this one.Though de niro is scary but he has shades of the cliched hollywood psychos. Blood flows like water and there is the typical shout and scream. Where as in the original movie, Robert Mitchum played a much quiter and scarier tormentor. Without any tattoos, with hardly any profanities, and without actully hurting anyone (except the last sequences) he can build an atmosphere or utter fear and discomfort for Gregory peck as well as the audience.gregory peck was great in the older movie (he is always), but so is Nick Nolte. Actuly, he is somewhat better as he looks more vulnerable than the lanky tough guy that was Gregory Peck.

Excellent Scorsese film with an all-star cast

Martin Scorsese's remake of the original Cape Fear is just as much of a classic as the old one. However, this version of Cape Fear focuses more on the psychological impact on the Bowden family than the original, which in my opinion made this movie much better than the original. One of the best areas of this Cape Fear lies within its cast. With an all-star cast like Nick Nolte, Robert De Niro, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis etc, and with terrific directing by Martin Scorsese, you can't go wrong. It's also fun to see appearances from actors from the original movie, such as Gregory Peck, Robret Mitchum etc.Overall, a must-see movie for lovers of a psychological thriller.

gift

This was a gift for my brother he requested it. I have never seen it...

A brilliant comic nightmare

It's easy to underestimate Scorsese's "Cape Fear," with Robert DeNiro taking his shtick over the top and its other cartoonish elements, but I gather I'm not alone in enjoying and admiring it more and more each time I see it. The main question seems to be how seriously one should take a movie like this, a question made more difficult by one scene of excessive violence that seems out of place even if it's essential to the tension that the film builds with such perfect steadiness.

The best way to view "Cape Fear" is as an exquisite comic nightmare, and one of its most delicious cosmic jokes is the way it reincarnates actors from the original, morally simple 1962 version into a morally gray alternative universe and puts them up to no good. Gregory Peck, the saintly father in the original, reappears as a southern dandy lawyer working for the villain, Max Cady, who is deferentially addressed as "Mister Maximilian Cady" by bored judge Martin Balsam, who was an honest cop in his previous incarnation but rules in favor of the villain here. Robert Mitchum, formerly Max Cady, comes back as a sleazy and unhelpful cop who recommends vigilante measures to swat the new Cady, played by DeNiro and his patented furrowed mask.

Bad karma bounces around everyone and flows along some particularly fascinating contours within the Bowden family as it's besieged by Cady, the merchant of vengeance. Nick Nolte is brilliant as Sam Bowden, the ethically challenged, unfaithful lawyer whose betrayal of former client Cady is the seed of the entire nightmare. The fact that he was justified -- as a person, not as a defense lawyer -- in helping to get Mad Max a scholarship to the state pen only makes the karmic energy more beautiful. Jessica Lange smolders gorgeously as wife Leigh Bowden, forming a metaphysical alliance with Cady as they both punish Sam for his infidelities, and is simultaneously repulsed and seduced when Cady appears and disrupts her sublimated discontent. Juliette Lewis is spellbinding as the pubescent daughter Danny, whose disillusionment with her parents has her flirting with big bad wolf Cady, making for some of the most squirm-inducing scenes since Woody Allen dated fifteen-year-old Mariel Hemingway in "Manhattan." (After seeing her in "Cape Fear," Wolfy Allen immediately cast Lewis as his child-nymph girlfriend in "Husbands and Wives.")

DeNiro plays more of an unstoppable force of nature than a character, though some of his affectations and fashion statements as a poor southern "cracker" are enjoyably vivid and almost every scene with Nolte is taut as piano wire. He also makes the most of some genuinely rich dialogue, and though some of it sounds like a Travis Bickle fantasy ("You threatenin' me?"), at one point he considers leaving the Bowdens alone and pursuing an alternate career path: "Well, I could go to California and teach earthquake preparedness." Cady's choice of transportation in the third act can also only be considered a joke, though I remember the audience audibly groaning instead of laughing upon seeing this in the theater.

Some of "Cape Fear"'s best comic touches are furnished by Joe Don Baker as Kersek, the private detective hired by Sam, first to ineptly track Cady, then to scare him off. For some reason, Max isn't easily intimidated by empty threats emanating from fat alcoholic cop-wannabes, so Kersek is finally employed to terminate Cady with extreme prejudice and the aid of Kersek's homemade alarm system made from fishing line and stuffed animals. (One can't help thinking that "Jaws" might have been funnier if Kersek had been contracted to hunt the shark.) Cut to a pool of Kersek's blood on the kitchen floor, which sets off a notorious scene that may be the finest example of Scorsese's extraordinary knack for gallows humor -- the artful combination of terror and farce (a close contender being the famous re-burial scene from "Goodfellas"). As the blood-splattered Bowdens run out of the house, the film is interrupted by a public service announcement from the National Rifle Association: Nolte fires his gun randomly into the night while Lange screams the NRA's slogan, "He might be out here!"

Scorsese's editor Thelma Schoonmaker probably deserves much of the credit for "Cape Fear"'s comic timing, its smooth crescendo of tension, and its sumptuous melding of image and music. Composer Elmer Bernstein adapted Bernard Herrmann's original "Cape Fear" musical score, and the music makes the opening titles alone (by Saul Bass) worthy of hushed attention. There's a much commented-on sequence in which Leigh Bowden (Lange) gets out of bed and goes to her boudoir mirror to apply lipstick as if in erotic anticipation just before Max Cady appears outside on a perimeter wall, aglow under fourth-of-July fireworks and in mock-seductive repose. The tinted negatives X-raying her emotions, camera motion through the interior nightscape, string tremolos, and distant fireworks sounds are all combined masterfully to create a very subtle mood, one that may be easy to miss in a film that also employs many unsubtle touches.

"Cape Fear" doesn't contain a single weak scene or extraneous note until the final showdown aboard a houseboat on the storm-surged Cape Fear River itself. Max Cady, now Rasputin by way of Barry Scheck, refuses to die and at last conducts his cross-examination of the defendant Sam Bowden, showing a surprising knowledge of and deference to the rules of evidence and courtroom procedure. The sequence has some terror-humor, and the epilogue has poignancy, but it gets too silly even for the ablution of beautifully-filmed splashes to be entirely effective. But endings are hard, and lots of things in life lose their charms in the end, while still being well worth the ride.

Scorsese seems interested these days only in making more serious pictures, and "Cape Fear," released in 1991, is the most recent frivolous or semi-frivolous movie he's made, followed by an "Age of Innocence," "Kundun" and "Gangs of New York" period marked by worthiness and varying degrees of pretension. Movies like "The King of Comedy," "The Color of Money" and "Cape Fear," which are more purely for fun, seem to be behind him, and that may be a shame.

The Best Thriller Ever Made!

Up there with "Jacob's Ladder" this movie is driven and for not a minute does it let you hang. Although it can get a bit eerie and even make you a little stressed out watching it, it is by far one of the best thrillers ever made! This has to be one of De Niro's best performances, Nolte's too! And of course, for Scorsese it's a director's triumph. The movie is like a legend - the characters stick in our heads and we may even find ourselves acting like them. That's when you know you have a good film - when it seeps into everyday reality. Yes, the end boat scene had a couple cheesy shots in it - like De Niro right before he goes under water for the last time. But really - I think that kind of shot only stood out because the rest of the film was legendary. If you like this film check out my own little remake of the 1991 version here - http://andrewwyndham.com/Cape%20Fear%20Movie%20-%20Main%20Page.html. Copy and paste that into your URL. The video should be up very soon, so return periodically. Thanks! And for true lovers of good film and good acting such as De Niro and Nolte I say Yeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh Boyeeeeeee!

Scorsese on Elm Street....

I think we all begin a lot of reviews with, "This could've made a GREAT movie." A demented ex-con freshly sprung, a tidy suburban family his target. Revenge, retribution, manipulation. Marty's usual laying on of the Karo syrup. But unfortunately somewhere in Universal's high-rise a memorandum came down: everyone ham it up.Nolte only speaks with eyebrows raised, Lange bitches her way through cigarettes, Lewis "Ohmagod's!" her way though her scenes, and Bobby D...well, he's on a whole other magic carpet. Affecting some sort of Cajun/Huckleberry Hound accent hybrid, he chomps fat cigars and cackles at random atrocities such as "Problem Child". And I want you to imagine the accent mentioned above. Now imagine it spouting brain-clanging religious rhetoric at top volume like he swallowed six bibles, and you have De Niro's schtick here. Most distracting of all, though, is his most OVERDONE use of the "De Niro face" he's so lampooned for. Eyes squinting, forehead crinkled, lips curled. Crimany, Bob, you looked like Plastic Man.The story apparently began off-screen 14 years earlier, when Nolte was unable to spare De Niro time in the bighouse for various assaults. Upon release, he feels Nolte's misrep of him back then warrants the terrorizing of he and his kin. And we're supposed to give De Niro's character a slight pass because Nolte withheld information that might've shortened his sentence. De Niro being one of these criminals who, despite being guilty of unspeakable acts, feels his lack of freedom justifies continuing such acts on the outside. Mmm-kay.He goes after Notle's near-mistress (in a scene some may want to turn away from), his wife, his daughter, the family dog, ya know. Which is one of the shortcomings of Wesley Strick's screenplay: utter predictability. As each of De Niro's harassments becomes more gruesome, you can pretty much call the rest of the action before it happens. Strick isn't to be totally discredited, as he manages a few compelling dialogue-driven moments (De Niro and Lewis' seedy exchange in an empty theater is the film's best scene), but mostly it's all over-cranked. Scorsese's cartoonish photographic approach comes off as forced, not to mention the HORRIBLY outdated re-worked Bernard Hermann score (I kept waiting for the Wolf Man to show up with a genetically enlarged tarantula).Thus we arrive at the comedic portion of the flick. Unintentionally comedic, that is. You know those scenes where something graphically horrific is happening, but you can't help but snicker out of sight of others? You'll do it here. Nolte and Lange squawking about infidelity, De Niro's thumb-flirting, he cross-dressing, and a kitchen slip on a certain substance that has to be seen to believed. And Bob's infernal, incessant, CONSTANT, mind-damaging, no-end-in sight blowhard ramblings of all the "philosophy" he disovered in prison. I wanted him killed to shut him up more than to save this annoying family.I always hate to borrow thoughts from other reviewers, but here it's necessary. This really *is* Scorsese's version of Freddy Krueger. The manner in which De Niro relishes, speaks, stalks, withstands pain, right down to his one-liners, is vintage Freddy. Upon being scalded by a pot of thrown water: "You trying' to offer sumpin' hot?" Please. And that's just one example.Unless you were a fan of the original 1962 flick and want a thrill out of seeing Balsam, Peck, and Mitchum nearly 30 years later (or want a serious head-shaking film experience), avoid a trip to the Cape.

Another classic in the bag for Scorsese and De Niro.

I haven't seen the original "Cape fear" with Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck yet, but it's got to be pretty good to be better than this one.
Although the end is somewhat a little farfetched, the rest of the movie is absolutely riveting. De Niro got a very well-deserved nomination for his role as crazy Max Cady but fell on a bad year because it was pretty hard to beat Hopkin's performance in "The silence of the lambs". After 14 years in jail, Max Cady is released and goes back to New Essex to seek revenge on Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), his attorney at the public defendor's office back then when he was convicted. Now, I can't tell you why he seeks revenge on Bowden without spoiling the plot of the movie.
However, I can tell you that De Niro is excellent and that Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, and surprisingly enough, Joe Don Baker, are very good as well. The final scene at Cape fear is incredibly tense. Although a little gory for one or two scenes, "Cape fear" is well worth a watch.

Pmo's Analysis

I Love This Movie! I Truly Do..But I Cant Help But Wonder Why The Makers Behind This Film Just Let It Go To The Birds In The Final Act. Seriously, A Very Tense Film Indeed, Up Until The Unbelievable, Yet Some-What Entertaining, Finale. I Am A Huge Fan Of Juliette Lewis Who Snagged An Oscar Nod For Her Roll, But They Should Have Changed The Ending, For It Just Doesnt Fit Into The Rest Of The Movie. I Dont Mean To Spoil It, But I Would Have Liked To See DeNiro's Character's Demise Be A Bit More Tense, Than Just Sinking To The Bottom Of A River (Cape Fear). All In All, A Tense, Entertaining, Visually Captivating, And Beautifully Acted By All, Except That DeNiro's Performance Does Veir Towards Parody At Some Unintentionally Laughable Moments, But It Just Doesnt Work. As I Said, Better Ending With More Tension And Less Focus On DeNiro & His Ego By Having His Character Max Cady Go Down Like A Hero.

Nothing to Fear But Cape Fear Itself

Cape Fear is an exquisite horror film, with the wonderful directing abilities of Martin Scoresece and the outstanding acting skill of Robert De Niro, and other actors. Max Cady, a tattoo-riddled, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting yet malevolent psychopath paroled from prison, seeks vengeance on his former attorney, Sam Bowden, who did a poor job at defending him. Cady stalks Sam, and try to torment him through his family. Alas, he does nothing to Sam that can be proven in court. He is deviant, thus he works out the perfect way to frighten Sam. Finally, the Bowdens move to Cape Fear River. A perfeclty terrifying and realistic film, with a marvelous twist to the original 1962 version with Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck. I recommend this to any fan of suspense and horror films. "Counselor. Counselor. Come out, come out, wherever you are.""You're gonna learn about loss."

max cady once again

Director: Martin Scorsese,Script:Wesley Strick/James R.Webb Cast: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette LewisThis is a Martin Scorsese remake of Cape Fear from 1962. It is about a convict who is out of prison after 15 years of incarceration. We are not talking about a nice man here to say the least. He committed horrific crimes against women,brutal rapes etc. The convict,Max Cady(played by Robert De Niro), goes after his lawyer(played by Nick Nolte) for withholding evidence that could have resulted in the charges being dropped. He starts to terrorize his family and eventually befriends their daughter.Although a remake, it is not the exact same script. Wesley Strick makes a few changes. I will stop short of saying this is the better film but some of the changes in the plot are actually an improvement. For example, the motivation for Max Cady to terrorize Sam Bowden(his former lawyer)was because as I stated earlier, he withheld important information that would have kept him from getting convicted. I can't remember the motivation in the original but I remember it being much weaker. Secendly, in this remake, Sam Bowden(Nick Nolte) is truly terrified by this guy whereas Gregory Peck in the original doesn't show the same level of fear and actually stands up to Max Cady much of the time. Thirdly, the scenario with the daughter is different. Here we have the opposite. In the original the daughter(Lori Martin)is terrified of Max Cady while in the remake, the daughter(Juliette Lewis) is distrustful at first but she eventually becomes intrigued by him.That being said, I thing the original had a better overall style. I actually think the Cape Fear remake to be more like Taxi Driver (another Scorsese/De Niro production)and the original Cape Fear to be more like Night of the Hunter(also starring Robert Mitchum). Robert Mitchum is very creepy as Max Cady (much as he is in Night of the Hunter). His style makes him the ultimate bad guy. Robert De Niro is adequate and even creepy at times but as is typical of most of his acting it is often over the top. The original is one of the last of the "Film Noirs". Its black and white photography works in its favor.

If you love tough movies that don't flinch...

...then you'll find much to love about Martin Scorsese's remake of film noir classic CAPE FEAR. There are some superb performances here, from a clearly-enjoying-himself Robert De Niro, whose terrifying portrayal of Max Cady remains a career high point, to Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis (in her breakout performance), Illeana Douglas, Joe Don Baker (having fun in every scene), Sen. Fred Thompson, and the wonderful trio of Robert Mitchum, Martin Balsam and Gregory Peck (all of whom appeared in the 1962 original).

But beyond great acting, Scorsese assembled some of the greatest talents of 20th century moviemaking to aid him on this picture. Rather than try to top Bernard Herrman's original score (and who could? it's one of the scariest pieces of movie music in history!), Scorsese asked the great Elmer Bernstein to adapt and embellish, and the result is brilliant. His cinematographer is the legendary British director Freddie Francis, who helmed so many blood-curdling Hammer horror flicks in the Sixties and Seventies, and more recently known for his gorgeous cinematography on David Lynch's THE ELEPHANT MAN and THE STRAIGHT STORY. And as usual, Scorsese employs Thelma Schoonmaker (the "editor's editor") with him in post-production, telling the story flawlessly.

Working from a ghoulish, morbidly funny script from Wesley Strick, Scorsese turns CAPE FEAR into a widescreen, Technicolor-hued tribute to early '60s melodramas, but adds a much darker sense of danger and suspense. De Niro's wronged convict comes after Nolte's family with a righteously Biblical cause of revenge and retribution, and proceeds to tear what little semblance of civility the family had for each other into shreds. CAPE FEAR is not a feel-good picture by any means, but it certainly is a wild ride, and a visceral experience provided by masters of the form. Recommended for fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Sergio Leone, and Sam Peckinpah.