Cape Fear (1962 film)



Cape Fear is a 1962 film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It tells the story of Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck), a lawyer whose family is threatened by a convicted rapist. The rapist, Max Cady (Robert Mitchum), wants vengeance for having been imprisoned on Bowden's testimony after the latter witnessed him attempting to rape a woman. After a lengthy game of cat and mouse between the two, Bowden takes his family to their houseboat on Cape Fear, hoping to set a trap for Cady that will lead to his re-imprisonment. Needless to say, this does not go as planned.


 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: Diane Taylor, who pays for it heavily.
 * Ambulance Chaser: Cady's lawyer.
 * As You Know / Let Me Get This Straight...: Sam Bowden's plan to deal with Cady is helpfully exposited by his wife.
 * Ax Crazy: Max Cady.
 * Blood From the Mouth
 * Deliberately Monochrome
 * Disproportionate Retribution
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Despite the overwhelming theme of sexual violence, the word "rape" is never used, nor does the dialogue get explicit. The closest the script comes is "attacked".
 * Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Cady smokes Evil Cigars.
 * Gory Discretion Shot / Nothing Is Scarier: When Cady attacks the girl at the hotel, her frantic grab at the door just pulls it shut, leaving only a narrow crack for the camera to see through.
 * I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Cape Fear.
 * Ironic Echo: Cady mentions that when he "visited" his ex-wife, she tried to hit him with a poker. Nancy later attempts to hold Cady off with a poker the same way.
 * Man in White: Cady.
 * Never My Fault
 * No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Savalas' character hires three thugs to deal one out to Cady. It turns out to be a case of Mugging the Monster.
 * Private Detective: Telly Savalas.
 * Rules Lawyer: As in To Kill a Mockingbird, Gregory Peck plays one of these. He still manages to be the good guy.
 * Scarpia Ultimatum
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Diane Taylor.
 * Shirtless Scene: Cady has several, all played for the same kind of menace as a Full-Frontal Assault.
 * Smug Snake: Mitchum, to a T. That relaxed drawl of his is terrifying.
 * Tranquil Fury: Mitchum has this quiet but insistent animal terror underlying everything he does.
 * Would Hit a Girl: Max Cady.
 * Would Hit a Girl: Max Cady.