Cape Fear

Released Apr 12, 1962

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

List

92%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

86%

Audience Score

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

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Keep-you-up-all-night terrifying!

Rated: 5/5

Feb 7, 2003

Full Review

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

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

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

Rated: A

Nov 29, 2022

Full Review

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

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The film gets all the beats right; the situations alternate between nerve-wracking and infuriating and horrifying, all while the pacing stays precise.

Rated: 9/10

Aug 24, 2020

Full Review

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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

Stuart B

If youve seen the Robert DeNiro film but not this original film- do check it out. Pure class and let OTT than the Scorsese film (which I do enjoy) Robert Mitchum is fantastically scary as Max Cady. If you make a list of classic films you should see, Cape Fear (1961) has to be on it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

Jeff M

More straightforward but less psychologically complex than the Scorsese remake, Peck and Mitchum excel in this tense thriller.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

g j

Mitchum is pretty strong, and the camerawork is very good. Ultimately, this hasn't aged very well though and, until the finale, mostly comes across as stilted, terse and a bit flat.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

Full Review

Pedro G

Muy buena película, gran thriller psicológico que te mantiene tenso en muchos momentos. Esta es una cinta bastante antigua, lo que puede parecer que se quedo en el tiempo o envejeció mal, sin embargo esto no es así ya que a pesar del paso del tiempo sigue logrando causar el mismo impacto que causaba cuando salió. Es una cinta con una muy buena historia, la cual es entretenida a pesar de que por momentos a mi parecer tiene un ritmo algo lento, pero esto no es problema para semejante obra. El personaje de Max Cady me parece brillante, un loco maniaco que logra imponer miedo y tensión con solo verlo y el actor lo hace espectacular. Tiene muchas escenas tensas y de suspenso que están muy bien logradas, junto a un soundtrack que ayuda mucho a lograr eso. Por otro lado, las actuaciones es otra cosa que destacar ya que son geniales, principalmente las de Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Lori Martin y Polly Bergen. El tono en blanco y negro es algo que si bien no es de mis cosas favoritas en una película, la verdad es que con esta no me quejo y me parece que queda muy bien. Por ultimo, debería ver si el remake es superior a esta cinta, lo cual es complicado pero tengo fe que puede superarla. En conclusión, una muy buena película, con una historia excelente y entretenida, con personajes memorables que no vas a olvidar y escenas tensas que te van a mantener enganchado a la película. Muy recomendada.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/15/23

Full Review

Samir N

Just meh old movie nothing to see

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/04/23

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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