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Cape Fear
Cape Fear
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Cape Fear

Cape Fear

1962
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 46m
A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail. (imdb)

Directed by:

J. Lee Thompson

Screenwriter:

James R. Webb, John D. MacDonald

Starring:

Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam, Jack Kruschen, Polly Bergen, Telly Savalas, Lori Martin, Barrie Chase, Will Wright, Edward Platt

Franchise:

Cape Fear

Genres:

Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Crime

Country:

USA

Language:

English
imdb IMDb
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Cape Fear

1962
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 46m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 66.55% from 1049 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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paxtonPaxton
Rated 05 Sep 2019
92
92nd
It was on in the background of a dive bar with no sound and no subtitles and Robert Mitchum still managed to draw people in and immediately creep them out.
Rated 05 Sep 2019
jasongirl67Jasongirl67
Rated 02 Sep 2019
100
94th
Great movie and in my opinion the best performances of their careers from Peck and Mitchum
Rated 02 Sep 2019
sirstuckeySirStuckey
Rated 29 Nov 2016
80
78th
Robert Mitchum's passion project of being shirtless as much as possible.
Rated 29 Nov 2016
kasperlKasperL
Rated 27 Nov 2013
80
86th
I like this about as much as Scorsese's remake. Both are terrific thrillers in their own right and on their own terms. But, as Cady, Mitchum's got the edge on De Niro, I'd say.
Rated 27 Nov 2013
doctor7doctor7
Rated 09 Sep 2009
93
96th
Though J. Lee Thompson clearly imitates Hitchcock it doesn't come off as a cheap knock-off but rather a great film with two superb leads. Robert Mitchum is infuriating evil and subtly menacing while Gregory Peck perfectly captures the rage at the apparent impotence of the law when you need it most. Undoubtedly this is one of the best thrillers ever made.
Rated 09 Sep 2009
pickpocketPickpocket
Rated 17 Jul 2009
8
82nd
Thrilling but I'm never quite sure how I feel about the whole "do a good deed then it comes back to bite you on the ass" movies. Robert Mitchum plays his trademarked badass role, plus a hint of pedophilia. Atticus Finch, I mean, Gregory Peck plays, yep, Atticus Finch yet just more wooden. The surprise role is the daughter, who turns in quite a good performance. I'm interested to see what Scorsese did with it, seems like his kind of movie.
Rated 17 Jul 2009
eveeluneveelun
Rated 04 Apr 2007
78
70th
Mitchum is great as the brutal, clever, and resolved Cady. The film is an interesting and tense examination of male anxiety, vengeance, and due process. Not quite as amazing as Night of the Hunter, though.
Rated 04 Apr 2007
rojatumerojatume
Rated 14 Sep 2019
68
29th
Much more fun if you imagine it as a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird
Rated 14 Sep 2019
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 21 Jun 2016
2
21st
A particularly sadistic film, allowed for by the weakening Production Code, featuring expressive cinematography, an unmistakable Herrmann score, a fantastic performance by Robert Mitchum, and a wooden one from Peck. Unfortunately, these elements fail to coalesce into anything much more substantial than Hitchcock imitation.
Rated 21 Jun 2016
adamj1982adamj1982
Rated 10 Jul 2015
83
83rd
Mitchum =100.
Rated 10 Jul 2015
thehynesthehynes
Rated 16 Jun 2015
46
23rd
oh, come come now - an upstanding member of the community in 1962 Georgia has his family and safety threatened by a notorious psychopathic woman beating rapist paedophile and the local police don't drive the bad man off for a one way ride to the swamp?
Rated 16 Jun 2015
frankswildfrankswild
Rated 10 Jul 2012
85
86th
Max Cady might be the most menacing character that I have seen in a movie
Rated 10 Jul 2012
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 28 Jan 2011
3
38th
Tense and moody, with Mitchum fitting the role of the snakey, villainous Max Cady like a glove. His performance is obviously the highlight here, though the film also sports a great Herrmann score, some shadowy cinematography and interesting thematic elements (justice, vengeance, etc.). On the downside, the film's several payoffs aren't so great and that kid actress is grating as hell. On the whole, still a very effective thriller.
Rated 28 Jan 2011
billkerwinbillkerwin
Rated 26 Jun 2010
80
42nd
For my taste, this thriller is too manipulatively cruel toward its own characters and too sleazy in its drawn-out sexual menace to be considered a really fine example of film art. But Mitchum is undeniably great, the rest of the cast is good, and the film keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Rated 26 Jun 2010
joseywalesjoseywales
Rated 03 Mar 2010
79
84th
Thrilling, but nothing will ever top the Cape Feare episode of The Simpsons with Sideshow Bob!
Rated 03 Mar 2010
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 01 Dec 2009
80
61st
Great intense performance from Mitchum and the ending is very solid. A few things take away from the tension though, most notably the really overt music cues and the merely average supporting performances.
Rated 01 Dec 2009
jstryjstry
Rated 15 Oct 2009
85
75th
I love suspense/thrillers from this era. Unfortunately for them, I always compare them to Hitchcock, but this one holds its own with the help of Mitchum. What a creep! At times I felt the music was a bit loud where it could have done better with eerie silence, but overall the suspense and acting were there.
Rated 15 Oct 2009
hellsditchhellsditch
Rated 15 Oct 2009
81
68th
I haven't seen the remake, but here's how I know it can't be nearly as good as the original: No. Robert. Mitchum. Wait, he's in that? Ok, well, No. Robert Mitchum As Max Cady. Bob M. is great as the ruthless and calculating, but law-abiding(!) citizen, biding his time until he can extract his revenge on HIS terms. Film asks many great questions such as "can you really convict a man based on what he is clearly GOING to do?" Future anti-stalker laws say "yes", but this was clearly a different era.
Rated 15 Oct 2009
jebJeb
Rated 24 Feb 2009
90
79th
Cape Fear is what a thriller should be. Astonishing, mind-boggling, bewildering and it's most effectively sensible to a certain extant. Sagaciously powerful and one film to remember or see when you die.
Rated 24 Feb 2009
jsoundsJSounds
Rated 09 Apr 2023
38
10th
The suspense was really good in this movie, but besides that, it was very forgettable and the acting wasn't great. The female characters felt poorly written. I'm glad I watched it though.
Rated 09 Apr 2023
moncliviemonclivie
Rated 10 Nov 2022
74
51st
Populated by idiots who just CAN'T STOP leaving themselves alone with Mitchum. "I though the store would only take a second", sure... Also, a great lesson for the hundreds of future horror morons - if you have your mortal enemy on the ground bleeding, and you hold a rock in your hand, better run away to tell everyone to run and hide, instead of finishing him off.. -_-
Rated 10 Nov 2022
montycircusMontyCircus
Rated 13 Sep 2022
80
90th
"Rape Fear". Incredibly rough watch for a black & white 60's film! The same-old "running from the murderer" is often tired and boring, but a mother and child "running from the rapist", and hiding and screaming is an eye-poppingly "11" tense throughout. Not being able to say the word "rape" aloud made it all the more insidious somehow.
Rated 13 Sep 2022
scribScrib
Rated 08 Jun 2022
85
90th
Not pulling any punches for 1962; moments in this are uncomfortable to watch. The narrative can be a bit choppy early on, but the tension piles up and is borderline unbearable for the final act. I've only seen Mitchum in this and Night of The Hunter and I think it's safe to say he does a pretty good job at playing the predator.
Rated 08 Jun 2022
jarobmuljarobmul
Rated 01 Jun 2022
77
74th
Its fine, but nothing particularly interesting happens. It has some commentary on police and them being fundamentally incapable of stopping crime. But it does not have much to add.
Rated 01 Jun 2022
nathanbatesNathanBates
Rated 21 Nov 2021
80
78th
Early psycho-sexual thriller which relies mostly on Mitchum's oozing sleaziness (compared with Peck's understated reprising Atticus Finch). While the cat-and-mouse game is a little slow for modern viewers and there's a lot in here that's (purposefully) left unsaid, it still manages to creep you out, especially with a lawyer being unable to use the law to help him out in this situation.
Rated 21 Nov 2021
lintonmyroxylintonmyroxy
Rated 09 Mar 2021
81
39th
I kinda wish I hadn't seen this. It's disappointing and I had no idea how nearly identical Scorsese's remake was (though I still prefer his). The comparisons to Mitchum's performance in The Night of the Hunter are way too generous. He's good but not given even half as much to work with. At least this had the balls to actually cast a child as the daughter instead of an 18 year old, though Deniro gets much creepier with her than Mitchum is able to
Rated 09 Mar 2021
frederFreder
Rated 28 May 2020
90
86th
Quite an efficient wringer to put one's nerves through. I've always wondered how actors live with themselves when they have to play people as nasty as the kind of people Bobby Mitchum used to play. As an "entertainment," I'd have to say that CAPE FEAR is more than a little bit depraved -- but what's really dismaying is how far its depravity has been outstripped by more recent pictures. Also -- like the original KING KONG, this is CLEARLY a movie that did NOT need to be remade!!
Rated 28 May 2020
offlineozofflineoz
Rated 08 Apr 2020
85
83rd
Under Quarantine Film Reviews #31: Peck vs Mitchum is the equivalent of Tyson fighting Holyfield and boy was it entertaining.
Rated 08 Apr 2020
peyrinpeyrin
Rated 13 Sep 2019
70
56th
As with the other 60s flick remade by Scorsese, the original has a more dignified air about it and has more meticulously crafted filmmaking, but lacks the pure swagger of de Niro and Scorsese.
Rated 13 Sep 2019
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 09 Jul 2019
92
91st
Se você acha o Mitchum assustador em The Night of the Hunter é porque você ainda não viu o seu Max Cady, caralho, nem sei porque o Scorsese teve a pachorra de refilmar isso aqui. Na DarkFlix TV. Aliás, hoje a programação tá FODA, difícil escolher, escolhi esse por razões de Robert Mitchum.
Rated 09 Jul 2019
doyler29doyler29
Rated 12 Apr 2019
80
68th
This first adaptation of John D. MacDonald's novel "The Executioners" is a more black and white film in both literal and figurative ways. Peck has not wronged Mitchum in this version, and Mitchum is more straightforwardly evil. That's not really a knock on the film. Peck is more suitable for straightforwardly upright characters than Nick Nolte, and Mitchum is distressingly convincing as a truly reprehensible man.
Rated 12 Apr 2019
evilmangoesEvilMangoes
Rated 27 Oct 2018
84
56th
B+
Rated 27 Oct 2018
lady_moeLady Moe
Rated 25 Sep 2016
83
55th
Intense thriller with great performances by Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, the latter of which gives us a truly slimy villain to root against.
Rated 25 Sep 2016
comepeliculacomepelicula
Rated 25 Feb 2016
80
87th
The tense atmosphere in this movie is really well done; also the desperation of the lawyer having to go over his moral self to combat this truly scary guy, Mitchum's character is how bad guys are really scary, they are clever, they have a story and a purpose. Mitchum's performance brings this movie to another level.
Rated 25 Feb 2016
the_pirateThe Pirate
Rated 06 Aug 2015
82
67th
Watching this movie actually made me appreciate the remake more. Peck's performance is good, Mitchum's is mesmerizing, and there's a maintained tone and sense of suspense that's missing from the 1991 version, but there's also a lack of complexity and character from the supporting roles that Scorcese improved upon.
Rated 06 Aug 2015
treyatwoodTreyAtwood
Rated 21 Jul 2014
75
58th
There's no ending in this, but Mitchum is soberb, the mise en scene is amazing and the moral ramifications of the third act are interesting.
Rated 21 Jul 2014
iyisinekiyisinek
Rated 08 May 2014
60
18th
bir avukatin sekiz yil önce aleyhinde sahitlik yaptigi suçlu Cady, hapisten cikip avukatin yasadigi kasabaya gelmistir. Avukati tehdit etmekte ailesini taciz etmektedir. Gittikçe artam baski nedeniyle avukat bir plan yapar ve öldürmeyi kafaya koyar. CADY'NİN gözcüyü öldürmesi ve eve yaklasmasi MANTIK HATASI. Orada sesin kesilip gerilim müziğinin girilmesi de film için basli basina bir hata.
Rated 08 May 2014
glm01glm01
Rated 16 Oct 2013
86
87th
86.000
Rated 16 Oct 2013
3drevelation3dRevelation
Rated 31 Aug 2013
75
62nd
Having seen the remake before this, I'm not so sure there is much of a difference. I liked DeNiro's over the top portrayal of Max Cady, while Mitchums more brooding performance is good also. I did like the ending a bit more in this one, but overall both films have merits.
Rated 31 Aug 2013
trixrabbiTrixRabbi
Rated 10 Jun 2013
81
74th
Perhaps it puts all its cards on the table too early, but Mitchum is just so damn good it doesn't even matter. The last 30 minutes are outstanding. Stray observation: Max Cady only takes his hat off twice in the film, and it's amazing the way that little detail is used.
Rated 10 Jun 2013
troothTrooth
Rated 23 May 2013
74
67th
Robert MItchum plays a great villain, and they do a great job of making Gregory Peck's character seem really helpless against him. I was thinking as I watched it though, that you could probably make an equally compelling movie from the villain's perspective. It would probably just have to tone down all the shit about attacking the other guy's family.
Rated 23 May 2013
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 10 Jan 2013
80
85th
One of the great stalker studies in classic cinema, as Mitchum spends most of his time only observing, staring until he finally strikes at the very heart of his enemy -- his wife and daughter. But most of its distinction comes from Lee Thompson's physical spaces merging with plants, furnitures -- and, yes, beds, since we're talking about a potential rapist. If this is a film about an hesitating but constant invasion, the camera also serves as an instrument of virtual but plausible fear.
Rated 10 Jan 2013
davidthomsonDavidThomson
Rated 09 Sep 2012
75
57th
No one could seek to suggest that J. Lee Thompson was a better film director than Scorsese. Everyone can see that Scorsese's Cape Fear is a subtler film than the original, with far more complex character studies. But I will stick with the first film, because it is trash honestly done, whereas the Scorsese version is a tangled mess of violent urges and improving attitudes. Finally, I think that De Niro's Max Cady is a superb master class given by a great actor, whereas Mitchum's Cady is the Beast
Rated 09 Sep 2012
damildamil
Rated 31 Mar 2012
75
81st
This version is obviously less gritty than the Scorsese one, but what it does really well is suspense. The suspense builds and builds right from the beginning until the climactic finale. Gregory Peck was awesome, like always. Robert Mitchum was great too, and his performance was very reminiscent of his one in The Night of the Hunter (1955). I think I might've enjoyed it more if I hadn't already known what was going to happen, but it was still an entertaining watch.
Rated 31 Mar 2012
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 15 Feb 2012
87
72nd
Robert Mitchum is just an awesome dude and this is a great performance. Gotta love the 60's thriller style and atmosphere. I don't know how much I really love it but Mitchum is enough for me.
Rated 15 Feb 2012
kramyessevKramYessev
Rated 17 Sep 2011
54
34th
Whilst still a good film, I personally find this staple of 60s suspense to be somewhat overrated. Much of the praise the film has garnered is down to Mitchum's performance but I find him to be more of a depraved thug than a genuinly intimidating villain like Javier Bardem in "No Country For Old Men" for example.
Rated 17 Sep 2011
antaresAntares
Rated 30 Mar 2011
81
84th
What was Martin Scorcese thinking? It's been too many years for me to admit, but I should have seen this film much, much earlier. Robert Mitchum is even better in this than he was in Night of the Hunter. What doesn't work in Scorcese's version, works magnificently in this film. The atmosphere, acting and suspense are all top-knotch. What makes Max Cady menacing in this film is that Mitchum makes him believable, unlike the zealously religious caricature that DeNiro portrays in the remake.
Rated 30 Mar 2011
glmglm
Rated 18 Dec 2010
86
83rd
85.875
Rated 18 Dec 2010
saptaSapta
Rated 11 Aug 2010
85
77th
great thriller. Mitchum is genuinely and effortlessly menacing. The fear feels so real. Too bad the end wasn't something more "evil".
Rated 11 Aug 2010
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 04 Jun 2010
89
92nd
As a late period noir it's quite a bit more brutal and suggestive than the average, and makes for a harrowing experience, even when you know how things will turn out. Mitchum is incredibly menacing, Peck is kinda boring. He pretty much only does this one type of role, but at least he does it well. Fortunately his ho-hum performance is outweighed by the film's many assets, including its gripping tension and excellent Herrmann score (adding to the Hitchcockian feel). First-rate thriller.
Rated 04 Jun 2010
teeceeteecee
Rated 03 Apr 2010
20
15th
Gamle film er noget lort..
Rated 03 Apr 2010
riverbelleRiverbelle
Rated 05 Jan 2010
79
46th
I was SO BORED during this movie.
Rated 05 Jan 2010
rthornhillrthornhill
Rated 25 Aug 2009
93
85th
Watch Mitchum as he oozes creepiness whenever and wherever he appears. Recommended.
Rated 25 Aug 2009
westknifewestknife
Rated 02 Aug 2009
93
94th
A perfect thriller, and ahead of its time.
Rated 02 Aug 2009
cinemahellcinema_hell
Rated 02 Feb 2009
97
96th
"That won't stop the terror!" Robert Mitchum plays the ultimate badass here. Yes, even badder than his role on Night Of The Hunter.
Rated 02 Feb 2009
miss_jesusmiss jesus
Rated 30 Apr 2008
78
79th
Surprisingly ugly for a film this age.
Rated 30 Apr 2008
q31Q31
Rated 03 Mar 2008
98
92nd
Very suspenseful, with an incredibly evil villain. The filmwork is great, too.
Rated 03 Mar 2008
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 21 Oct 2007
75
84th
Very good thriller and much better than the Martin Scorsese remake. Gregory Peck is wooden, but the girl playing the daughter is great and Robert Mitchum OWNS in a role very similar to his sinister preacher in 1955's excellent Night of the Hunter. Cape Fear features one of the most memorable soundtracks ever, the music is just superb.
Rated 21 Oct 2007
dustydDustyd
Rated 16 Sep 2007
75
79th
Solid thriller
Rated 16 Sep 2007
maxfischermax_fischer
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
93rd
Better than the remake. When Mitchum drawls "Counselah" at Peck he sounds like pure evil.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
blammoblammo
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
82nd
BASED ON JOHN D MACDONALDS BOOK "THE EXECUTIONERS", I PREFER DENIRO AND NOLTE BETTER
Rated 14 Aug 2007
teddedonTedDedon
Rated 09 May 2007
85
73rd
This is basically the movie Night of the Hunter should have been, as Mitchum plays the same kind of self-righteous creep but there is more going on in the story to sustain the movie's flaws. Plus, not every actor outside of Mitchum BLOWS in this movie.
Rated 09 May 2007
stainStain
Rated 30 Mar 2007
90
86th
Very nicely done thriller
Rated 30 Mar 2007
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 11 Feb 2007
65
73rd
Classic.
Rated 11 Feb 2007

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