Cape Fear (1962)

Posted by moviegeek916 on September 7, 2011 · 1 Comment 

Cape Fear (1962) — Pretty awesome.  There’s a lot of great composition and atmosphere and Bernard Herrman’s classic score [which has not been at all diluted from being on The Simpsons every time Sideshow Bob shows up] set the mood for this suspense classic.  But the real place where this movie triumphs is Robert Mitchum’s performance as Max Cady, one of the scariest sons of bitches to ever be on the silver screen.  Gregory Peck’s lawyer character testified against him many years back and Max went away for eight years, thinking of revenge the whole time.  Not only that but he did quite a bit of reading about the law while locked away.  So now he’s loose, hell-bent on vengeance and knows enough about the legal system to be untouchable.  Nowadays there are laws against stalking that can be applied somewhat liberally but back in the early 1960s if you couldn’t prove something you couldn’t do anything.  Mitchum plays Cady not as rage-filled madman but as a cool and patient caged animal.  He’s not going to lose his cool until he’s good and ready to get his revenge.  His plan for revenge is so heinous it couldn’t be overtly said onscreen in the early 1960s (though it’s pretty clear).  J. Lee Thomson’s direction makes this a damn good movie, but Peck and Mitchum elevate it something more.

Filed under Film, Old Facebook Minireviews · Tagged with 1962, Bernard Herrman, Cape Fear, Gregory Peck, J. Lee Thompson, Robert Mitchum, suspense, The Simpsons