Robert Mitchum is evil incarnate in this film. He conveys menace and threat with just a glance, and there's something sexual about his violence which makes it all the more frightening. Hard for me to choose between this performance and his amazing, equally chilling turn in The Night of the Hunter.
I know it was supposed to be suspenseful but I couldn't help but be turned on at times. Between Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, there's just too much sexy to handle.
How great is Bernard Herrmann's score for the original 1962 Cape Fear? It drapes what is otherwise a bright small town and various vacation spots with an eerie menace from the start. It's great. But the story of an ex-con come to get revenge on his accuser wouldn't work if that ex-con didn't hand in a great performance. Robert Mitchum has a nonchalant charm that makes his moments of depravity all the more shocking and menacing, while Scorsese made Robert DeNiro a much more overtly monstrous figure in the remake. Director J. Lee Thompson shows you don't need to over-egg the pudding quite that much (I mean, DeNiro filled me with dread for years after I saw his Max Cady, whatever part he played) for it to still work as a thriller. Mitchum exudes menace without having to show much violence at all. And yet, you can easily believe people around the targeted family would believe Cady when he says he's the victim of prejudice. One of the granddads of "why don't you believe me?!" stalker thrillers, it's still pretty hard to be beat (and no, I don't think 90s X-TREME Cape Fear quite does).
This is not my favorite noir by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly qualifies as one. The acting, cinematography and plot all perfectly fit the style.
A solid thriller with good camerawork and lighting and some tense scenes. Robert Mitchum's performance is great, but Gregory Peck feels miscast: too stiff and reserved for a role where he has to become consumed by anger.
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MrE2Me
Robert Mitchum is evil incarnate in this film. He conveys menace and threat with just a glance, and there's something sexual about his violence which makes it all the more frightening. Hard for me to choose between this performance and his amazing, equally chilling turn in The Night of the Hunter.Camille Deadpan
This movie was obviously made so Robert Mitchum can be shirtless a lot. :pGeorge Bailey
I'm still frightened by this film!sureup
Holy shit Mitchum is good in this one!Next up: The Night of the Hunter!
fragilelabyrinth
I know it was supposed to be suspenseful but I couldn't help but be turned on at times. Between Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, there's just too much sexy to handle.George Bailey
Seriously......WOW!!!!Siskoid
How great is Bernard Herrmann's score for the original 1962 Cape Fear? It drapes what is otherwise a bright small town and various vacation spots with an eerie menace from the start. It's great. But the story of an ex-con come to get revenge on his accuser wouldn't work if that ex-con didn't hand in a great performance. Robert Mitchum has a nonchalant charm that makes his moments of depravity all the more shocking and menacing, while Scorsese made Robert DeNiro a much more overtly monstrous figure in the remake. Director J. Lee Thompson shows you don't need to over-egg the pudding quite that much (I mean, DeNiro filled me with dread for years after I saw his Max Cady, whatever part he played) for it to still work as a thriller. Mitchum exudes menace without having to show much violence at all. And yet, you can easily believe people around the targeted family would believe Cady when he says he's the victim of prejudice. One of the granddads of "why don't you believe me?!" stalker thrillers, it's still pretty hard to be beat (and no, I don't think 90s X-TREME Cape Fear quite does).TheGallopingGhost
This is not my favorite noir by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly qualifies as one. The acting, cinematography and plot all perfectly fit the style.ChrisReynolds
A solid thriller with good camerawork and lighting and some tense scenes. Robert Mitchum's performance is great, but Gregory Peck feels miscast: too stiff and reserved for a role where he has to become consumed by anger.coffeejazzlofi
(comment removed by mod, please post in English)jimjamjelly
It's weird that the 1962 version with Mitchum and the 1991 version with De Niro count as the same film on here. Confused the hell out of me.George Bailey
De Niro acts scary, Mitchum IS scary! It's weird that this movie isn't listed as a horror film, because it scared the feck out of me!Jumping Elephant
I've only seen a couple of minutes of this... but I would wager that it's not really a film-noir (also judging by the year of release).