History Film / CapeFear

The film was successfully [[TheRemake remade]] in 1991 by director Creator/MartinScorsese, with Creator/RobertDeNiro starring as Cady, Creator/NickNolte as Bowden, and Creator/JessicaLange and Creator/JulietteLewis as Bowden's wife and daughter; De Niro and Lewis each received UsefulNotes/AcademyAward and [[UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobeAward Golden Globe]] nominations for their performances. In this version, Cady is out to get Bowden because the latter, while defending Cady on a rape charge, deliberately buried possibly-exculpatory evidence about the victim, leading to Cady's conviction. Both films use the music score Music/BernardHerrmann composed for the original.

* VillainHasAPoint: Cady ''is'' technically correct when he points out that Bowden violated his legal and ethical duty as a defense attorney by burying important evidence that may have secured his client's acquittal. Hence he bears no grudge against the judge or the prosecutor, who were just doing their jobs correctly. Only technically though, since this leads more to the condemnation of such a warped law than to Cady's justification as Cady is a {{Hypocrite}} who truly doesn't care about the law and just uses it as a petty excuse to ignore his own crimes.

'''Max''': You were my lawyer! You were my lawyer, that report could have saved me fourteen years!\\

--> [[BothSidesHaveAPoint '''Sam''': Just because she was promiscuous didn't give you the right to rape her! You bragged to me that you beat two prior aggravated rapes. You were a menace.\\
'''Max''': You were my lawyer! You were my lawyer, that report could have saved me fourteen years!\\]]

--> '''Sam''': Just because she was promiscuous didn't give you the right to rape her! You bragged to me that you beat two prior aggravated rapes. You were a menace.\\
'''Max''': You were my lawyer! You were my lawyer, that report could have saved me fourteen years!\\

* TilMurderDoUsPart: Cady casually mentions he killed his ex-wife and hacked in 50 pieces when he's intimate with Lori Davis. Hard to tell he's joking or telling the truth.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Cady towards Peggy, Bowden's wife. Not in look actually but definetly in personality.

* EvilIsPetty: Cady when he's not busy raping woman or killing human beings he's just a massive dick to everyone. In one scene he offers a married waitress 20 $ for obvious indecent reasons and laughs when she reacts disgusted. In the same scene he silently chuckles when Bowden, distracted by Cady's presence, misses a bowling pin.

-->'''Cady''': Rape for [[PrisonRape Rape]]. Wife for wife. And child for child.

* FanDisservice: Cady is in excellent shape and we get some scenes of him shirtless but the effect is more off-putting than anything else.

%%* AxCrazy: Max Cady.

* GeniusBruiser: Cady is both in exceptionally good shape and terrifyingly smart. He studied law in prison, becoming a lawyer, even acting as his own defense during his appeals, so he knew when and how to harass the Bowdens.

%%* LargeHam: De Niro, in fine form. It's taken up to eleven after [[spoiler: Cady is set on fire.]]

%%* TattooedCrook: Max Cady.

* UndersideRide: Max Cady ties himself to the bottom of Sam Bowden's car, causing the Bowden family to take him directly to the houseboat. This is probably the most parodied element of the film.