History Film / CapeFear

* BatmanGambit: Cady rapes and beats Lori because he knows the incident will create strife between Sam Bowden and his wife Leigh. It was a very risky move on Cady's part that succeeded because Lori chose not to press charges. Had she done so (as would have been quite likely), Cady would have been arrested and probably spent the rest of his life in prison, putting an end to his plot against Bowden and his family.
* BizarreTasteInFood: Kersek's favourite drink is Jim Beam mixed with Pepto-Bismol. He mentions [[LikeFatherLikeSon it was also his father's favorite]] for stakeouts.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When Danny acts coy at the question of Cady touching her at school, [[PapaWolf Sam]] is infuriated and nearly chokes her when demanding answers. He's immediately remorseful, calms down and apologizes, but Danny yells for him to GetOut.

* NiceToTheWaiter: Danny is very close to the family maid Graciella, always greeting her and trying to help her out. [[spoiler:Cady brutally murdering her is what finally opens Danny's eyes to what he really is, leaving her horrified and devastated.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: It's implied Sam and Leigh didn't tell Danny the details of what Cady did to get imprisoned or his grudge against Sam. As a result, she doesn't comprehend the full danger he poses and even falls for Cady's flirtations, to the point of disbelieving that he actually killed their dog. Sam doesn't help matters with his angry reaction upon learning Cady got intimate with Danny at school instead of actually trying to explain things, causing her not to care about the stakeout or want her father to kill Cady. It takes [[spoiler: seeing Cady's murders of Graciela and Kesak for her to finally wise up.]]

* TroubledTeen: Danny was nearly expelled for smoking marijuana and consequently goes to summer school. She also seems to be struggling with puberty and feeling isolated due to her parents' arguments. Cady takes advantage of this to charm her.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When Danny acts coy at the question of Cady touching her at school, [[PapaWolf Sam]] is infuriated and nearly hurts her when demanding answers. He's immediately remorseful, calms down and apologizes, but Danny yells for him to GetOut.

* RevengeIsNotJustice: Max Cady wants revenge because his lawyer, Sam Bowden, buried evidence that could have saved Cady 14 years in prison (where it's implied that he sexually assaulted there and he felt especially vulnerable due to his illiteracy). However, it's revealed early on that the evidence that could have saved Cady was that his victim was promiscuous, something Bowden points out as ridiculous and evil. Cady doesn't accept this [[{{Hypocrite}} or care]] and even prepares to still murder him for violating his oath as a lawyer.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: PlayedWith. The above episode ignores the fact that since the 1970s, most US states have passed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_shield_law rape shield laws]], which seriously limit and in many cases completely prohibit a victim's past sexual behavior from being introduced as evidence or being brought up in cross-examination. [[GeniusBonus However]], North Carolina didn't adopt its Rape Shield Law until 1979, while Cady's trial occurred in 1977.

* PoorCommunicationKills: It's implied Sam and Leigh didn't tell Danny the details of what Cady did to get imprisoned or his grudge against Sam. As a result, she doesn't comprehend the full danger he poses and even falls for Cady's flirtations, to the point of disbelieving that he actually killed their dog. Sam doesn't help matters with his angry reaction upon learning Cady got intimate with Danny at school instead of actually trying to explain things, causing her not to care about the stakeout and disagree with her father trying to kill Cady. It takes [[spoiler: seeing Cady's murders of Graciela and Kesak for her to finally wise up.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: It's implied Sam and Leigh didn't tell Danny the details of what Cady did to get imprisoned or his grudge against Sam. As a result, she doesn't comprehend the full danger he poses and even falls for Cady's flirtations, to the point of disbelieving that he actually killed their dog. Sam doesn't help matters with his angry reaction upon learning Cady got intimate with Danny at school instead of actually trying to explain things, causing her not to care about the stakeout. It takes [[spoiler: seeing Cady's murders of Graciela and Kesak for her to finally wise up.]]

* AssholeVictim: The reason why Cady is out for Sam's blood is that the latter buried evidence that could have minimized Cady's sentence by 14 years. While Cady's grievance is legitimate and something he could legally punish Sam for by bringing him to court, he chose violent revenge instead.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: The above episode ignores the fact that since the 1970s, most US states have passed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_shield_law rape shield laws]], which seriously limit and in many cases completely prohibit a victim's past sexual behavior from being introduced as evidence or being brought up in cross-examination.

* BizarreTasteInFood: Kersek's favourite drink is Jim Beam mixed with Pepto-Bismol.

** Despite his other transgressions, Bowden sabotaging the latter's defense to punish him and prevent further crimes was a clear altruistic action, albeit certainly unethical and probably illegal given his role as a defense attorney.

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: The first person Cady kills in the film is Graciella, the Bowden's Hispanic housekeeper.

** In the 1962 film, Bowden has a perfect loving family with a supportive wife and obedient, dutiful children. In this version, his wife suspects him of adultery (due to past episodes), and his rebellious teenage daughter is initially attracted to Cady.
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Kersek. In the original the private detective survived, but here he doesn’t fare nearly as well thanks to being merged with a character who ''did'' die.]]
* DisneyVillainDeath: The piece of boat Cady is cuffed to gets pulled back into the River by a wave and he eventually is dragged under to his doom.
* DisruptingTheTheater: One of the remake’s most famous scenes. Early in the film, Cady follows Sam and his family into a cinema and sits near them. He laughs obnoxiously throughout the showing while filling the room with cigar smoke, ruining the Bowden family’s experience.
* DumbassNoMore: At first, Bowden doesn't believe that Cady could know anything about how Bowden withheld evidence at Cady's trial since Cady was an illiterate, ignorant "hillbilly" at the time. Little does Bowden know that Cady has ot only taught himself how to read, but has become very knowledgeable in law and many other fields.

* FramingTheGuiltyParty: Bowden deliberately buried evidence which would have helped Cady's defense at trial, but it was because he knew that Cady was guilty and had previously got away with other rape cases.

** Another happens when Kersek is talking with the Bowden’s maid, and she turns around to reveal [[spoiler:she is Cady, who had murdered the real nurse and taken her clothing to ambush Kersek.]]

* MadeOfIron: Max gets beaten on for quite a while by some thugs, but as soon as he gets a weapon away from one of them, he takes them all down with ease. Later, Danielle throws some boiling water in his face, and he doesn't even blink. Grasping a lit signal flare didn't faze him, either. However it's established that Cady [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome isn't invulnerable and his various injuries eventually catch up with him and incapacitate him.]]

* NeverLearnedToRead: Cady was illiterate well into adulthood and only learned while in prison. However he repeatedly shows that this doesn't mean he's stupid.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: Cady at least ''tries'' to invoke this in his argument with Bowden, and is trying to bring Bowden [[HeWhoFightsMonsters to his level]]. The way Bowden snarls like a rabid animal while violently trying to beat Cady's brains out with a rock in the climax suggests he at least slightly succeeded. It's not like Bowden's anger is [[PapaWolf in any way misplaced.]]

* RedShirt: Graciella, the Bowden’s maid, gets very little characterization or screentime [[spoiler:before Cady murders her.]]

* RevengeIsNotJustice: Max Cady wants revenge because his lawyer, Sam Bowden, buried evidence that could have saved Cady 14 years in prison (where it's implied that he sexually assaulted there and he felt especially vulnerable due to his illiteracy). However, it's revealed early on that the evidence that could have saved Cady was that his victim was promiscuous, something Bowden points out as ridiculous and evil. Cady doesn't accept this [[{{Hypocrite}} or care]] and prepares to evenn still murder him for violating his oath as a lawyer.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Bowden, as Cady's defense lawyer, had the sworn duty to give his client the best defense. The best defense would have involved adding additional humiliation on top of grievous injury to the poor woman Cady raped, by exposing her sexual history. Bowden decided "to hell with it" and half-assed his job, wishing Cady to go to jail.

* RemakeCameo: Creator/GregoryPeck and Robert Mitchum both play supporting roles in the remake. Martin Balsam, who played a police chief in the original, also has a small cameo in the remake.

* TheCameo: The three lead actors from the 1962 film appear in small roles in this remake: Creator/GregoryPeck as Cady's attorney, Creator/RobertMitchum as the sheriff, and Creator/MartinBalsam as a judge.

** In the 1962 film, Bowden has a perfect loving family with a supportive wife and obedient, dutiful children. In this version, his wife suspects him of adultery (due to past episodes), and his rebellious daughter is initially attracted to Cady.

* WickedCultured: In addition to studying every law book he could get his hands on in prison, Cady seems to have a vast knowledge of philosophy, theology, and literature, quoting sources as varied as the Bible, [[Creator/DanteAlighieri Dante]] and [[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche]] in conversation. In one scene, he's seen changing radio stations to listen to opera.

* AmoralAttorney: While at an emotional level one could understand why Bowden withheld evidence that could have helped his client's case, it was a clear betrayal of his role as Cady's defense attorney.

** AmoralAttorney: He is actually worse in the original film, as it becomes clear that he has a history of twisting the truth and taking advantage of human rights violation fears to accuse police of brutality at the slightest whim and trying to completely exonerate his scumbag clients. When Bowden asked him how he knew about the police watching his house, he shut up, knowing that this would implicate that his client was stalking them.

** There's a graphic scene of Cady beating, mutilating, and raping Lori, one of Bowden's colleagues.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Black vs a very, very ''light'' shade of grey. Generally what happens when an overall good man with anger issues and who partook in an affair is up against a rapist. Despite his other transgressions, sabotaging the latter's defense to punish him and prevent further crimes was a clear altruistic action.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The otherwise psychopathic and seemingly amoral Cady harbors absolutely no ill will towards the judge or prosecutor for putting him away. According to him, they, like law enforcement generally, were just doing their jobs. This is in contrast to his hatred for Bowden, who he blames for intentionally failing in his job as defense attorney.

* HumanNotepad: Cady has lines from the bible tattooed all over his body.

* PrisonRape: Cady's quip about "being a woman" and getting in touch with his own "soft, nurturing side, his feminine side" when Sam Bowden tried to buy him off.

* RemakeCameo: The remake featured cameos by Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, the hero and antagonist (respectively) of the original. Also, Martin Balsam, who played the sympathetic cop role in the original, plays a judge in the remake.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* BizarreTasteInFood: Kersek's favourite drink is Jim Beam mixed with Pepto Bismol.

* VillainProtagonist: Cady's actor in the remake is given top billing and the Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination he received was for "Best Actor." So, it can be viewed that Cady is the main focus of the film for the audience to follow from beginning to end besides also acting as the BigBad, while Sam is a SupportingProtagonist who endures Cady's menace and realized how deeply motivated he is to achieve his revenge against him.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Cady in both versions. While the original has him wanting to torment Bowden because his testimony sent him to prison—despite it being rightfully so—he claims in the remake to want to punish Bowden both legally and divinely for burying the report that probably would've gotten him off for a rape—and Cady purposely ignores not only that was he guilty of that rape to begin with, but committed two others before it and after being released from prison, poisons a dog; rapes another woman; murders two people and nearly tortures a family to death.

* IronicEcho: In a meta-sense; where Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum played the upstanding lawyer and the sadistic rapist in the original, their cameo roles in the remake essentially place them on the opposite sides, with Mitchum playing a police detective sympathetic to Bowden's plight and Peck playing Cady's attorney. Peck stated in an interview that he was offered a few different roles to make a cameo as, and immediately asked for the least sympathetic one.

* RevengeIsNotJustice: Max Cady wants revenge because his lawyer, Sam Bowden, buried evidence that could have saved Max 14 years in prison (where it's implied that he sexually assaulted there and he felt especially vulnerable due to his illiteracy). However, in the climax, it's revealed that the evidence that could have saved Max was that his victim was promiscuous, something Sam points out as ridiculous and evil. Max doesn't accept this and prepares to murder him for violating his oath as a lawyer.

* AmoralAttorney: Gregory Peck's cameo as Cady's lawyer. Bowden intentionally sabotaging Cady's defence, on the other hand was [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight actually done out of morality]].

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Cady attempted and failed to invoke this with Sam. The worst he got out of him was violent aggression, which was a result of his [[PapaWolf natural instinct to protect his family]].

* LawfulNeutral: Lee Heller is implied to put whatever personal issues he has with Cady aside to both represent him and condemn Bowden for his lawfully questionable actions--which is in contrast to Bowden burying something that likely would've helped Cady's rape case regardless of whether or not it was morally right.