Cape Fear (1991) 128mins
NEW TO ME COUNT: 5
SEEN IT COUNT: 1
The first film to go on the 'Seen It' count! I first saw this film around 15 years ago and it made a great impression on me at the time, though I hadn't rewatched it since. It's a film that gets referenced in various media very often, from The Simpsons to, most recently, Chucky, the new TV series based on the Child's Play films. Being a remake of a 1962 film of the same name, which was itself based on a novel from the 1950s, Cape Fear marks the seventh collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and its main star, Robert De Niro.
De Niro portrays Max Cady, a convicted rapist, who blames his defence lawyer, Sam Bowden, for the 14 years he spent in jail. Bowden did in fact cover up evidence that may have reduced the sentence against Cady, an action that he ends up paying a price for when Cady makes it his mission to seek revenge upon his release from jail. De Niro is absolutely fantastic here, imbuing Cady with an effortless charm in an horrific scheme to seduce Bowdens 15 year old daughter, whilst being equally effective in showing Cady's lust for violence. The film score is also well worth noting; adapted from the original film, the bellowing chords of Max Cady's theme fill the audience with a real sense of dread over what we could be about to witness.
What results is a deeply haunting yet fascinating psychological thriller, a film that is made and presented in a recognisably classic Hollywood style which Scorsese has said was very much influenced by Hitchcock. It's a film that is not easily forgotten once seen, for better or for worse, but the way it creeps under your skin is truly masterful.
9/10
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