Lamebrain17
It's hard to feel too freaked out by this movie now, but the actors........everyman Gregory Peck and the ultimate scumbag Robert Mitchum are so compelling. This movie is so effective because of the implied actions. I'm glad we have film where the worst actions aren't seen on screen but suggested by the writers. Top notch thriller for it's day and still relevant today.........
zkonedog
To be completely honest, I do not know if a movie with themes as sinister and overt as "Cape Fear" could be made in Hollywood today. Yet, amazingly, it was released in 1962, only adding to the creepiness factor of the overall movie experience (I cannot imagine the reaction of theater- goers to this in the early 60s!).For a basic plot summary, "Cape Fear" tells the story of Max Cady (Robert Mitchum), a just- released prisoner who blames lawyer Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) for his time in the slammer. Thus, Cady decides to hound Sam, wife Peggy (Polly Bergen), and daughter Nancy (Lori Martin), threatening them with a sinister type of violence that only a man with his criminal past can threaten. Cady is careful to work inside the law however, so not even the town police chief (Martin Balsam) or a private investigator (Telly Savalas) can stop him.Without any beating around the bush, this movie is a classic because of Robert Mitchum as Cady. From the first time you see him on screen, you know that he is a slime-ball among the worst of all-time cinema villains. Just the way he swaggers around combined with his accent makes you instantly aware that this is a man to be feared.Of course, that character only truly works against Mr. straight-laced himself, Peck. Though you can read my review for the '91 "Cape Fear" to discover all that was wrong (or average) about that film, the main thing is that they went away from Peck's family representing, well, the innocence of family. In order for Cady to truly strike fear into us, he has to be attacking something we hold dear...that being the notion of family. Sam's family is the epitome of that innocence (shaggy dog, teenage daughter, white picket fence, etc.).The themes in this movie are quite brutal, dealing with violence, rape, pedophilia, and the limitations of the law. Yet, the film is not overtly violent. It is much more of a psychological-type humor, not anything too graphic. That's not saying, however, that you won't be utterly terrified at certain points...because you will.Overall, "Cape Fear" is one of my favorite psychological thrillers of all-time! It has incredible acting, deep suspense, and themes that hold up as well today as they did in 1962. If you have watched the '91 version, you've only gotten the "gist" of things. Watch this for the REAL terror.
preppy-3
A vicious criminal named Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) gets out of jail. He goes after the mild-mannered prosecutor Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) who put him away. Sam also has a beautiful wife (Polly Bergen) and a 10 year old girl named Nancy (Lori Martin) who Cady seems VERY interested in.Unpleasant but gripping thriller. Beautifully directed in stark black and white by J. Lee Thompson this film slowly creeps up on you and never lets up. Peck, Bergen and Martin are great in their roles but Mitchum is downright terrifying in his. The scenes where he stalks Nancy are almost unbearable to watch. There's nothing explicit in the film but the direction and acting tells you everything you need to know. Superb score by Bernard Herrmann too. Martin Scorsese remade this in 1991 but upped the violence and sexual content and added blood and gore that was more disgusting than thrilling. Stick with this. Surprisingly this was not a hit when it was released but it's not considered a classic thriller. Highly recommended.
merrywater
Was this the last film noir type of picture made in B/W? Surely movies have been made in B/W after 1962, but I can't think of anyone in particular this famous. Psycho, for instance, was released in 1960.Anyhow, this is a true gem, and there's nothing that I'd like to add to it, or remove.Robert Mitchum was magnificent in Cape Fear: indeed, he gave life to the odd, inscrutable character of Max Cady. Compare his Max Cady to Lee Marvin's Walker in Point Blank, another impeccable hard boiled 60s thriller (although in color). Marvin's protagonist doesn't really seem to possess any feelings other than Vengeance. Cady shows all kinds of emotion: anger, amusement, hate, self-pity, desire, perhaps even love (though I doubt that). The remake of 1991 is not my favorite, and I suspect that Scorsese simply wanted to cast DeNiro in yet a powerful role. In my opinion, DeNiro didn't make it as Mitchum had already been there. (I also tend to think of DeNiro fans as admirers of greasy Mafiosi clichés: in one scene in the 1991 version, DeNiro's Cady even tuned in some Italian opera while driving his automobile. Not exactly what Mitchum's Cady would have thought of doing...) Cape Fear of 1962 had a sub motive dealing with apparent shortcomings of the law, that even the ex convicts have rights, and so on. The same motive appears later in the Dirty Harry series. Cape Fear of 1991 blurred all this with religion, and much of the point with the setting, copied from the original, was lost. While Mitchum's Cady is believable as the shrewd legal book reading bum, DeNiro's Cady barely appears to be literate.Other reviewers on IMDb have commented on the Hitchcockian style of this thriller. Well, you can see that this was not directed by Hitchcock. No offense intended here, though.
