Cape Fear (1962)
1962 · Feature film · 128 min · dir. Martin Scorsese
Now he had only one weapon left—murder!
- Drama
- Crime
- Thriller
Synopsis
Sam Bowden witnesses a rape committed by Max Cady and testifies against him. When released after 8 years in prison, Cady begins stalking Bowden and his family but is always clever enough not to violate the law.
Synopsis from OMDb
Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Writer
- John D. MacDonald
- Composer
- Bernard Herrmann
- Cinematography
- Sam Leavitt
- Studio
- Melville-Talbot Productions, Universal Pictures
- Released
- 1962-04-12
- Running time
- 128 minutes
Cast & crew
Martin Scorsese Director
Robert De Niro
Nick Nolte
Jessica Lange
Juliette Lewis
Joe Don Baker
Robert Mitchum
Gregory Peck
Martin Balsam
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★★★ · Great, creepy movie · carey mac · 2025-07-28
This is the original, and so much better than the remake. Robert Mitchum is amazing, as the villain, all casting was well chosen. The movie doesn't rely on special effects, salacious sex scenes, violence to impart the menace, of Max Cady. A great watch!
★★★★★ · A Gothic tale of revenge and redemption down South · GH3K3 · 2026-07-27
Hitchcock, in his interviews with Truffaut, observed that "the better the villain, the better the movie." Here, with CAPE FEAR, you observe a perfect example of that axiom, and as a bonus, Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack, which makes this dark thriller almost seem like a "lost" Hitchcock film. But Hitch's villains were usually suave and charming, for example, James Mason in "North By Northwest," or Robert Walker in "Strangers on a Train". With CAPE FEAR, you get Robert Mitchum as Max Cady, a smug sociopath with ruthless cunning and intelligence of the law gleaned from his eight years of study…
★★★★★ · EXCELLENT REALLY SCARY · NEIL MILLER488 · 2025-07-30
an excellent film really scary. Mitchum and Peck impeckable ha ha
★★★★★ · Keeps you on the edge of your seat · Anne Mabry814 · 2026-06-10
Mitchum is unbeatable as a villain; his nuanced smirks are genius. Peck is also unbeatable as his protagonist, suave and unflappable.
