Movie Review: Cape Fear (1962)
Synopsis: Eight years after witnessing a rape and testifying against Max Cady, attorney Sam Bowden is visited by the man he helped send to prison and he and his family are soon stalked by the ex-con. Since Cady is both careful to avoid breaking any laws and has an attorney of his own representing him, the local police are powerless to do anything. This forces Sam to test the limits of the law himself in an effort to protect his wife and daughter.
Who's in it? The movie stars Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin and Telly Savalas.
Review: I came across and added Cape Fear to my library a few weeks ago. I had seen the 1991 remake a long time ago but never had an opportunity to watch the original and finally changed that this morning. I was not disappointed.
This is what I would describe as a clever psychological thriller. Cady (Mitchum) is established as the ultimate movie villain, absolutely ruthless and possibly insane but also extremely intelligent. The way he always seemed to be a step or two ahead of Sam (Peck) was frustrating but entertaining with the ex-con practically spelling out what he intended to do while, at the same time, pushing Sam into a position where he was the one in trouble with the law.
Adding to this was Cady's unpredictability. There were times in the movie when it wasn't clear if even he knew what his plan was, especially toward the end, when he even admitted to changing his mind at the last minute.
This, in turn, made Sam's brilliant plan to trick Cady something that both seemed well thought out and flawless but also not something that was necessarily going to work because it was almost guaranteed Cady would do something nobody was expecting. Add in the very dark theme (even by today's standards) of Cady wanting to get his revenge by raping Sam's daughter, Nancy (Martin) and you had an ending that easily kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
The final fight between Sam and Cady was also exciting and entertaining, with both men seeming to gain the upper hand, only to have the other surprise them. It did make me wonder why Sam didn't have a better contingency plan, such as having his private detective, Charles Sievers (Savalas) secretly circling back in case he needed more backup (or at least have a witness) but it was satisfying enough to keep that lack of preparation from ruining it and even had an ending I wasn't quite expecting.
Final Opinion: This is an entertaining classic thriller with solid acting and an unpredictable villain. It's worth taking the time to watch this, even if you've seen one of the remakes.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other classic thrillers:
Movie Review: Lady Bug Lady Bug (1963)
Movie Review: Witness to Murder (1954)
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