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Cape Fear

Play trailer Poster for Cape Fear R Released Nov 13, 1991 2h 8m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 57 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
When attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) knowingly withholds evidence that would acquit violent sex offender Max Cady (Robert De Niro) of rape charges, Max spends 14 years in prison. But after Max's release, knowing about Sam's deceit, he devotes his life to stalking and destroying the Bowden family. When practical attempts to stop Max fail, Sam realizes that he must act outside the law to protect his wife and daughter in Martin Scorsese's remake of the classic 1962 thriller.
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Cape Fear

Cape Fear

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Critics Consensus

Smart and stylish, Cape Fear is a gleefully mainstream shocker from Martin Scorsese, with a terrifying Robert De Niro performance.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Times (UK) Yet the grubby story is elevated by a superior cast in both the original and this grimly bloodthirsty remake. Aug 14, 2023 Full Review Victoria Luxford BBC.com (De Niro) had played a tough guy before, but never quite like this: a very sinister, very jagged, very dangerous character… put that together with Martin Scorsese at possibly the peak of his powers, and it’s a delightful if slightly scary film. May 6, 2022 Full Review Adam Nayman The Ringer Martin Scorsese wasn't supposed to remake the 1962 thriller, but when he did, he brought along his longtime muse and infused the story with an overwhelming amount of trademark chaos... Nov 20, 2021 Full Review Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) The picture's missteps are more than numerous. Rated: 2.5/4 May 8, 2023 Full Review Peter Keough Boston Phoenix Ever shot reminds you that a consummate artist is having a great time remaking a kinky minor classic. Apr 21, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Everything is relatively dirty, and no one is truly good, except for this film, it's phenomenal. [Full review in Spanish] Jan 4, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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nina n I've never liked De Niro, but this is a very good film in which his performance takes the lion's share. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/21/25 Full Review Jonathan O The original Cape Fear is good but not scary or thrilling but this new version from Scorsese really terrified us and made it completely different and add new with Max Cady play by Robert DeNiro and his performance is so sinister, clever and disturbing horror villain. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/03/25 Full Review Horror fan 4 Not quite as good as the original it's still a better remake than most that we get. Tim Treakle Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/02/25 Full Review Cecilia S the ratings definitely need to be higher for this one. This movie set the standard for all that came after it Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/21/25 Full Review soul s This is outrageous. How can this movie hold a 75%. This is a Scorcese masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/25 Full Review David M To get home from where I walked my date home after seeing this on its original release in the cinema (aged 18, my first year at university), I had to walk through a small, dark park which was badly lit and had plenty of places to hide. I ran through it, imagining Robert De Niro in every bush and behind every tree. The film got to me. Revisiting it now, I understand a lot more than I did then - and still the film haunts and dogs the viewer. Remaking a classic 1962 film, Nick Nolte is the lawyer whose family is stalked and tormented by the rapist he had defended at the trial that sent him to prison 14 years ago. Now he's out and wants revenge. It's a savage, disorienting, dizzying film - the effect of which is twisted further by the similarly dizzying cinematography and editing. De Niro is superb, but the standout is Juliette Lewis as Nolte's 16-year-old daughter. The extended scene between them in the school theatre is an unbearably creepy masterwork, and her whole performance is stunning. I wasn't fully convinced by Nolte, but he does come into his own in the final act, almost silent, reduced by De Niro's ex-convict to his base elements, slugging it out in the pouring rain, drenched and caked in mud. It's a film about how we lose humanity, and how we might try to keep it - and it's one that sits well in Scorsese's stellar filmography. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cape Fear

Cape Fear: Official Clip - Cady Kills Kersek Cape Fear: Official Clip - Cady Kills Kersek 2:43 Cape Fear: Official Clip - More Than Human Cape Fear: Official Clip - More Than Human 2:34 Cape Fear: Official Clip - Cady Drowns Cape Fear: Official Clip - Cady Drowns 2:22 Cape Fear: Official Clip - Leigh Offers Herself Cape Fear: Official Clip - Leigh Offers Herself 2:17 Cape Fear: Official Clip - Sucking Cady's Thumb Cape Fear: Official Clip - Sucking Cady's Thumb 2:58 Cape Fear: Official Clip - Strip Search Cape Fear: Official Clip - Strip Search 2:35 Cape Fear: Official Clip - Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are Cape Fear: Official Clip - Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are 2:58 Cape Fear: Official Clip - The People vs. Samuel Bowden Cape Fear: Official Clip - The People vs. Samuel Bowden 3:03 Cape Fear: Official Clip - Cady's Release Cape Fear: Official Clip - Cady's Release 1:18 Cape Fear: Official Clip - Smoking and Cackling Cape Fear: Official Clip - Smoking and Cackling 2:23 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis When attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) knowingly withholds evidence that would acquit violent sex offender Max Cady (Robert De Niro) of rape charges, Max spends 14 years in prison. But after Max's release, knowing about Sam's deceit, he devotes his life to stalking and destroying the Bowden family. When practical attempts to stop Max fail, Sam realizes that he must act outside the law to protect his wife and daughter in Martin Scorsese's remake of the classic 1962 thriller.
Director
Martin Scorsese
Producer
Robert De Niro, Barbara De Fina
Screenwriter
John D. MacDonald, James R. Webb, Wesley Strick
Distributor
Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Home Entertainment
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Tribeca Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 13, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$76.4M
Runtime
2h 8m
Sound Mix
Surround
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