Rewind film: Cape Fear, directed by J. Lee Thompson
Cape Fear surfaced two years after Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of the macabre, Psycho, but the suspense drama was even edgier: it broke new boundaries by addressing then-taboo subjects.
Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen
J. Lee Thompson
Cape Fear surfaced two years after Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of the macabre, Psycho, but the suspense drama was even edgier: it broke new boundaries by addressing then-taboo subjects.
For the past eight years, rapist Max Cady, played in understated style by bad boy Robert Mitchum, has been plotting revenge on a lawyer who testified against him: Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck). After his spell in prison, Cady knows of legal loopholes that will allow him to terrorise his target's wife, Peggy (Polly Bergen), and teenage daughter, Nancy (Lori Martin).
"I got something planned for your wife and kid that they ain't never gonna forget," Cady tells Bowden before mounting his harassment campaign.
Desperate to stop him, Bowden first calls the cops, but their hands are tied because Cady has stayed within the letter of the law. He then hires a private detective - played by future crime drama icon Telly Savalas - who tracks down a bar girl who has been attacked by Cady, but she's too scared to testify. Finally, he hires three goons to teach Cady respect, but is foiled again when the monster overpowers his attackers.
The family flee to Cape Fear - another miscue because Cady invades their houseboat. Cue the legendary showdown that blurred the border between acting and reality: prodded by director J. Lee Thompson, Mitchum cracked an egg over Bergen and smeared it on her chest. In the ensuing mayhem, Bergen injured her back and Mitchum ripped his hand open.