| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
A- |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A+ |
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Classic Thriller
by Brett U (movies profile)
Sep 4, 2007
5
of
5 people found this review helpful
Robert Mitchum spent the majority of his film career portraying the hero, which, considering his rogue status, imposing presence and rough off-screen reputation, seems to be in direct conflict with this. It's true that when he did play the protagonist, it was a more interesting, multi-layered, hero by circumstance with outsider status; what would come to be known as the anti-hero. Mitchum was in war pictures, but he was never the flag waving John Wayne nor the undefeatable characature that was Audie Murphy. He was in plenty of westerns but there were always psychological issues brewing under the surface in between the gunfights and barmaidens. Mitchum always had an imposing physical presence, but he was usually indifferent whether or not anybody found out how much damage he could do. It was only when someone else that was 'less-good' than Mitchum made trouble for him that the battle lines were drawn and viewers knew to who to side with. Either way, it is no suprise that two of his most memorable roles are classic screen villains and Cape Fear's Max Cady is one of them (the other being Night of the Hunter's faux Preacher Powell). Cape Fear is all about the unspoken threat. Mitchum's Max Cady's menace is hinted at, due in equal measure to the Hollywood code of the time and to Thompson's great direction. The threat of Max Cady hovers over the all-American Bowdens (Gregory Peck et al) building the suspense for ninety minutes until Mitchum finally decides to unleash it in the beautifully photographed finale. The Bowdens may be a little too Cleaver-esque for some contemporary tastes, but that simply makes Cady's intentions that much more repulsive. When Martin Scorcese remade Cape Fear that was lost. Max Cady was turned into a Bible-quoting lunatic, so unafraid to say what was on his mind that it simply became disturbing. By making the Bowdens a disfunctional family and turning Nick Nolte's Sam Bowden into a man of questionable morality it made the characters a little more three-dimensional and interesting but far less sympathetic, ruining any ensuing suspense and forced Scorcese to resort to base slasher-movie tricks and graphic violence. The best thrillers make you afraid of the horrible thing that might happen, not the horrific thing that is happening. Cape Fear is a prime example of this. It was considered smut upon its release due what was whispered offscreen or hinted at with a smirk, lear or glimmer in the eye of Mitchum, making us completely aware with out a doubt which side of the line in the sand he was now on. |
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