Plot.
Poster of Cape Fear

Cape Fear

1991 · Film · 128 min

  • Drama
  • Crime
  • Thriller

Plot

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 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 Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

About Cape Fear

Cape Fear is a 1991 American Southern Gothic psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Wesley Strick. It is a remake of the 1962 film, which is based on the 1957 novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald. The film stars Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Joe Don Baker, and Juliette Lewis. The film tells the story of a convicted rapist who, by using his newfound knowledge of the law and its numerous loopholes, seeks vengeance against a former public defender whom he blames for his fourteen years in prison due to purposefully botching his legal defense. Cape Fear was released by Universal Pictures on November 15, 1991, marking the seventh collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro. The film was a commercial success and became the first Scorsese film to gross more than $100 million. It received generally positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for several awards, including the Oscars and Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor (De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Lewis). A television miniseries adaptation debuted in 2026.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cast

  • Nick NolteSam Bowden
  • Robert De NiroMax Cady
  • Jessica LangeLeigh Bowden
  • Juliette LewisDanielle Bowden
  • Joe Don BakerClaude Kersek
  • Robert MitchumLieutenant Elgart
  • Gregory PeckLee Heller
  • Martin BalsamJudge
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