PopHorror Let's Get Scared
When it comes to remakes, I’ve already whined about it. As mentioned in my previous article, remakes can either be unnecessary or a rare improvement on the original. Cape Fear is one of the few remakes that is neither a knockoff or an improvement. It’s an entirely different story altogether.
For those that aren’t aware, the original Cape Fear was a 1962 thriller movie starring Gregory Peck (Best Picture Gentleman’s Agreement 1947) as a lawyer named Sam and Robert Mitchum (Midway 1976) as an ex-con named Max. Sam just happened to catch Max in the act of committing rape and testified against him. Once Max is released from prison eight years later, he methodically stalks Sam and his family with charm and wit rather than blunt force trauma.
***SPOILER ALERT***
The end of the movie has Max closing in on Sam’s wife and daughter, and there’s a final fight on the shore of Cape Fear, North Carolina. Max revealed earlier in the movie that he fears going back to prison the most, and Sam uses that against him in the finale. The original Cape Fear was a success in theaters but as usual, the predominantly conservative media fell on the ground pounding their hands and fists crying about a movie centered around rape. The actual word was written out of the script, but critics still weren’t happy. Oh, well.
For the remake, critically acclaimed Hollywood director Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas 1990) was brought in to direct Cape Fear which was released on November 15, 1991. Martin brought along Robert Di Niro (Taxi Driver 1976) who he had just worked with in Goodfellas a year earlier. Robert would be playing the villain, Max Cady, while Nick Nolte (Down and Out in Beverly Hills 1986) would be playing Sam. The story to Cape Fear is a lot different than the original to appeal to the morality of the viewer which I’ll get to later. In the remake, Max Cady is accused of raping a 16-year-old girl, and his lawyer, Sam, was supposed to defend him.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Because Sam himself believed the illiterate, overweight Max was a scumbag, he purposefully withheld crucial information such as the fact that the 16-year-old girl in question was notorious for her promiscuity, which could have gotten Max a reduced sentence or even beat the rap completely. Fourteen years later, Max gets out of prison in the best shape of his life. He had educated himself while he was in there, especially in law which is how he figured out that Sam sabotaged his trial. Just like the original, Max uses wit and charm to stalk and get under the skin of Sam, mostly through Sam’s daughter, Danielle (Juliette Lewis: Natural Born Killers 1994). The cat and mouse game from the original movie is done brilliantly by Di Niro and Nolte, leading to an action-packed final confrontation.
Without giving away too much, Cape Fear was masterfully done as an homage to the original with its own new storyline/ending. What made the remake successful is the question of morality that wasn’t in the original. Robert Mitchum’s Max Cady was a scumbag rapist that got caught by Gregory Peck’s Sam, and 1962’s Cape Fear was the story of a bloodlustful revenge. The remake calls into question of whether or not Robert Di Niro’s Max Cady should have been punished at all.
For argument’s sake, North Carolina’s age of consent in 1977 was 16 (still is), so it was not illegal for Max to be with a 16-year-old if she consented. If he’s the same age as Di Niro was during filming, he would have been in his early 30s in 1977. Unlike the original, Max Cady’s revenge is against the man who went against his own code as a public defender to put him in jail, whether he deserved to be or not. After all, if Sam had done his job and fought for Max at the trial as he was legally bound to, there would be no movie. If Max still went to prison on a reduced sentence or won the case, he’d have no reason to seek revenge on Sam. The beauty of Martin Scorsese movies are the villains aren’t as cut and dried. Just look at any Joe Pesci performance in one of them. You can question the morality of Max Cady dating a 16-year-old, and you can also question whether or not Sam withholding information was the right thing to do.
As for the movie itself, the acting is amazing including cameos from the original actors such as Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam (12 Angry Men 1957) and Robert Mitchum in different roles. The movie poster with Di Niro’s evil eyes made it iconic, and overall, it’s a psychological thriller that was damn good. Cape Fear grossed $181 million dollars and can be enjoyed today provided you know what you’re getting into. The subject of rape is very touchy to 2021 audiences, but if you can handle it, its worth it. Di Niro’s performance was such a success that four years after Cape Fear was released, the World Wrestling Federation created a professional wrestling character loosely based on Max Cady. The legitimately 6′ 7″ “Golden Boy” Dan Spivey became Waylon Mercy, a man who spoke softly with a North Carolina drawl, and he would smile as he shook hands with fans and his opponent before the bell only to turn into a psychopathic savage as the match began. Waylon’s pre-taped promos were him appearing cool, calm, and collected while saying all the deranged things he would do to his opponents which was eerily similar to the way Max Cady would talk to Sam Bowden in Cape Fear. Waylon Mercy also wore a Hawaiian shirt in a tip of the cap to Cady. Sadly, the character didn’t last long as the 43-year-old Spivey had legitimately bad knees that forced him to retire in the fall of 1995 after 12 years of wear and tear.
All in all, the Cape Fear remake was a success, but it still makes the viewer question who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong, depending on how you look at it. In the 1962 Cape Fear, Max Cady was a two bit psycho that should have been in jail, but in the 1991 Cape Fear, Cady might not have deserve what he got despite being sandbagged by his own lawyer. Those are morality questions only you yourself can answer. What would you have done if you were defending a notorious rapist and information that could get him off was presented to you? In the modern day world of #MeToo and the crack down on statutory rape, Max Cady would probably go to jail for a very long time if a jury had their say, but at the same time, anyone that’s watched Law & Order SVU enough knows it has to be done the right way. Martin Scorsese, Nick Nolte, Juliette Lewis and Robert Di Niro have gone on to do great things in the 30 years since Cape Fear was released, but this film is unforgettable for anyone who’s ever watched it.
