Cape Fear (1962)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Robert Mitchum is the show in 1962's CAPE FEAR. Just to watch his Cady prowl and menace is to be Scared. Cady is a animal out for revenge. and he is smart and cunning and tough. Gregory Peck is Sam Bowdern the Lawyer who stopped Cady 8 years ago. Cady was trying to rape a 16 year old girl and he beat her and Sam saved her. Cady spent 8 years in jail. Now he's free and wants revenge and his revenge is terrorizing the Bowderns By using the very system that Sam serves and the same system that put Cady away for 8 years. Cady has devised a way to use that system as a weapon. Cape Fear was ahead of its time. No one actually thought anything like this could happen but now sadly it does all the time.Robert Mitchum gives Max Cady a air of menace. he's a brute that's always thinking always one step ahead. And Peck Gives Sam a Sense of justice he wants to do this legally even after that matter has been taken out of his hands.A dark moody Film noir that never disappoints.

The scariest thing there is is the unpredictable, the unknown. I'm getting political for a second because I am beginning to see this as an eventuality for our country in the coming year. All that aside, in his role as Max Candy, Robert Mitchum becomes about as Satanic as one can be. He is always out there. Because he commits no specific acts, Gregory Peck's character cannot do anything. The police are forced to be on Cady's side. He becomes the persecuted. As time goes on the family constantly under surveillance and threat. It's not what happens; it's what is going to happen to them. These are common people who don't have the means to protect themselves. Mitchum's very appearance is threatening, a kind of smiling, "you don't know what I'm thinking" kind of monster. This is great casting. Peck plays the everyman. His daughter is pretty and the target of unnamed threats. Polly Bergen is the maternal one. A really scary film.

A lawyer (Gregory Peck)'s family is stalked by a man (Robert Mitchum) he once helped put in jail.This may be one of the greatest thrillers of all time. And why not? You have Mitchum, who is great at playing dark and evil characters. This one is by far his darkest and most evil. And then you have Gregory Peck, who is best known for playing upstanding citizens, most notably Atticus Finch. So seeing him as the hero is easy.And then you have a story that goes above and beyond. This was 1962, and movies were relatively tame by the standards of today (2015). But not this one. Threats of murder, blackmail, rape... this is a vicious movie that is legitimately scary, and not in the campy way that a lot of early thrillers now are.

Cape Fear (1962): Dir: J. Lee Thompson / Cast: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Martin Balsam, Telly Savalas, Polly Bergen: Shocking thriller about the dwelling of fear and paranoia. Gregory Peck stars as a happily married lawyer whose life is interrupted when Max Cady re-enters his life. He was the testimonial witness that jailed Cady for eight years for abusing a young woman. Now Cady spies on Peck and his family, even going so far to stalk his daughter after school. He even poisons their dog but without any detection. Peck goes to the police but Cady remains just inside the law. Terrific setup that builds tension right up to its rousing climax. Director J. Lee Thompson delivers nail-biting results. Robert Mitchum portrays Cady as a repulsive animal who will stop at nothing short of retaliation. He remains a threat despite any odds thrown his way including three thugs hired to beat him up. Peck displays desperation as the threat nears. He ponders his resources even at the cost of the law, but will ultimately have to deal with this himself. The supporting roles lack greater dimension. Martin Balsam plays a police chief who issues standard advice, and Telly Savalas plays a detective who does the routine. Polly Bergen plays Peck's wife who is afraid for her husband and daughter and attempts to bring reason to the chaos. Shows fear in its extremes and our sacrifice of innocence to wash away its existence. Score: 7 ½ / 10