Cape Fear (Martin Scorsese, 1991, USA)
1991’s Cape Fear , Martin Scorsese’s most commercially successful film up to this point, is an excellent riff on the original 1962 film starring Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck. Expanding on the original source material (including John D. MacDonald’s The Executioners ), while paying it a great deal of respect (the original’s Bernard Herrmann score features prominently in this new version, and both Mitchum and Peck make appearances), Cape Fear is a classic example of a remake that in many respects exceeds the original. It is at least a remake that is warranted, particularly given the limitations of what could be shown in 1962. De Niro’s Max Cady enhances the Southern Gothic nature of Max Cady, making him almost possessed of a religious righteous vengeance. While some have objected to De Niro’s Southern accent (which does sometimes seem inconsistent throughout the film), his performance is a tour de force. The entire ensemble, from Nick Nolte as our (less admirable than in the original)...
