Cape Fear

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Cape Fear

Released Apr 12, 1962

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After an eight-year prison sentence for rape, Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) targets Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck), one of the lawyers who sent him away. When Max finds Sam and his family, he begins a terrifying stalking spree, intending to ruin Sam's life. Desperate to protect his wife and daughter, Sam makes every effort to send Max back to jail. But when his attempts fail, Sam realizes that he must take matters into his own hands if he wants to rid his life of Max for good.

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Critics Consensus

An exemplary thriller powered by Robert Mitchum's chilling performance and Bernard Herrmann's sinister score, Cape Fear seethes with perfectly modulated tension.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

A cold-blooded, calculated build-up of sadistic menace and shivering dread is accomplished with frightening adroitness in J. Lee Thompson's melodrama Cape Fear.

May 9, 2005

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Keep-you-up-all-night terrifying!

Rated: 5/5

Feb 7, 2003

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Despite its visual style and a pair of decent performances from Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, as a psychological thriller it loses the initial tension and, among other things, fails to achieve a lasting impact. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Jun 10, 2025

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Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

There is some efficient terror-business in the film, but the suspicion that a meal is being made of your cringing stomach and your glazed eyeballs isn't very endearing. Nor is the brutal retributive climax.

Mar 9, 2024

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

A sturdy, frightening thriller, with Robert Mitchum in a powerhouse turn.

Rated: A

Nov 29, 2022

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Janet Graves

Photoplay

[Mitchum] makes the nice folks look weak and unconvincing. But then the story as a whole isn't realistic -- though it goes into unnecessary and distasteful detail.

Dec 15, 2020

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Isaiah Y

Great pair of performances by Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

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Kyle C

Masterfully disturbing and suspenseful, Cape Fear is a timeless classic with iconic direction and score. I’m not sure how much of this was intentional, but the film is surprisingly critical of law enforcement and quietly encourages community justice — especially bold for 1962. Though it doesn’t offer many solutions, it exposes the flaws of relying on the system to keep you safe, while also showing what can go wrong if you take matters into your own hands. That said, some obvious steps (like a restraining order, maybe?) are just overlooked. But I’m no expert on 1960s law. Maybe that wasn’t realistic then. Robert Mitchum is genuinely terrifying as Max Cady. The film smartly lets us imagine the horrors he’s committed, without showing much, for most of its runtime. Then, when he finally goes fully unhinged, it’s deeply disturbing because we’ve almost gotten comfortable seeing him as some kind of gentleman. His transformation into the animal we’ve been warned about is brilliant and shows off the masterful filmmaking on display. The expert direction and Bernard Herrmann’s haunting score accentuate the film’s themes perfectly. Put simply, this film rises far above the generic horror that plagues theaters today. The suspense is real and parts are genuinely hard to watch. It’s a slow burn that really blazes by the end. I loved it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/10/25

Full Review

David G.

Classic movie. Intense for its time, and we wouldn’t have De Niros great and creepy performance in the remake without the original! Robert Mitchum and Gregory peck were at the height of their careers, and it shows.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

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Horror fan 4

What a classic thriller movie with great performances and direction. Tim Treakle

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/02/25

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Vitor O

A fantastic thriller with Peck and Mitchum stealing the show in every scene. This one keeps you on your toes as few movies did back in 1962.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

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Tony M

Cape Fear (1962) is a good film. I do prefer the 1991 remake but seeing the original is worth it. A good film that's well worth checking out.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

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J. Lee Thompson

Director

Gregory Peck

Sam Bowden

Robert Mitchum

Max Cady

Polly Bergen

Peggy Bowden

Lori Martin

Nancy Bowden

Martin Balsam

Police Chief Mark Dutton

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Synopsis

After an eight-year prison sentence for rape, Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) targets Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck), one of the lawyers who sent him away. When Max finds Sam and his family, he begins a terrifying stalking spree, intending to ruin Sam's life. Desperate to protect his wife and daughter, Sam makes every effort to send Max back to jail. But when his attempts fail, Sam realizes that he must take matters into his own hands if he wants to rid his life of Max for good.

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Producer: Sy Bartlett
Screenwriter: John D. MacDonald, James R. Webb
Distributor: Universal International Pictures
Production Co: Melville-Talbot Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 12, 1962, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 21, 2015
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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