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"Foliage...the best
friend of a
decent-man-being-hunted." |
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Directed by J. Lee
Thompson - Written by
James R. Webb
Starring Gregory Peck.
Robert Mitchum, Polly
Begen, Lori Martin
Distributed by Universal -
1962 - 105 mins - Rated
NR |
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Atticus Finch is being pursued by a madman? Oh my! |
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"Cape
Fear" is a thrilling and disturbing thriller that manages to chill a
modern audience the same way '60s audiences were. Gregory Peck stars
as a lawyer who testifies against a rapist named Max Cady (Robert
Mitchum) whom he saw committing the brutal crime. Cady is put in
prison for eight years, but when he is released, he heads to Peck's
hometown and begins a campaign of terror against him and his family.
Peck and Mitchum both give great performances. Peck plays a normal man
in a horrible situation, and acts it straight. Mitchum is terrifying
as Cady, one of the best villains in film history. Their scenes
together are tense and exciting, and the climax is a knockout.
Sadly, the film has it's lulls. It has some slow spots, and the
characters often do some ridiculous things that no normal person would
ever do.
These are minor quips, and "Cape Fear" is a solid thriller that
deserves it's classic status. |
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© Written by Jacob Hall |
TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Richard
Propes' Comment
The
original "Cape Fear" hasn't aged that nicely,
but it remains a suspenseful, high anxiety film
featuring marvelous performances from Peck and
Mitchum. In some ways, I prefer this version as
it offers a more pure form of suspense. In the
DeNiro remake, the suspense and action takes on
a more violent and even eroticized energy to it.
While it's effective, there's something powerful
about suspense for the sake of suspense.
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