CAPE FEAR is a psychological thriller about a sadistic threats, fears, family, laws and knowledge.One maniac is released from prison, in which he has spent eight years for rape. He tracks down a lawyer whom he holds personally responsible for his conviction because he interrupted his attack and testified against him. The maniac threatens lawyer and his family in a discreet way. A chief of police, the lawyer's friend, can not intervene on these threats. In the lawyer's family has reigned daily fear. There must be some way ...This movie does not has a some classic introduction. It "hits" to the head from the start. A murky story has spawned an extremely disturbing plot, in which the two protagonists come to the brink of insanity. The tension has been growing gradually, which is characteristic of many Hitchcock's films, through quite shocking scenes. Mr. Thompson has made a successful variation.Characterization is very good.Gregory Peck as Sam Bowden has offered a solid performance, but his character is too tepid, perhaps innocent, except in the climax. He persistently pushes his tension, and then act rationally, which is a little unnatural.Robert Mitchum as Max Cady is a falsely indifferent sexual maniac or rather the monster in the true sense of the word. He's a crazy, rude and arrogant antagonist. That further enhances an impression. This performance is, according to his quality, on par with the performance from "The Night of the Hunter".Their support are Polly Bergen (Peggy Bowden), who is perfect in tense scenes and confrontations. Lori Martin (Nancy Bowden) is an innocent girl, who becomes a prey. Martin Balsam (Mark Dutton) is a sturdy and principled as a chief of police. Telly Savalas (Charlie Sievers) is a kind of voice of reason.This is shocking, intense and exciting.

The scariest thing there is is the unpredictable, the unknown. I'm getting political for a second because I am beginning to see this as an eventuality for our country in the coming year. All that aside, in his role as Max Candy, Robert Mitchum becomes about as Satanic as one can be. He is always out there. Because he commits no specific acts, Gregory Peck's character cannot do anything. The police are forced to be on Cady's side. He becomes the persecuted. As time goes on the family constantly under surveillance and threat. It's not what happens; it's what is going to happen to them. These are common people who don't have the means to protect themselves. Mitchum's very appearance is threatening, a kind of smiling, "you don't know what I'm thinking" kind of monster. This is great casting. Peck plays the everyman. His daughter is pretty and the target of unnamed threats. Polly Bergen is the maternal one. A really scary film.

Not the 1991 Martin Scorsese remake, this is the black-and-white original version directed by J. Lee Thompson, the UK practitioner's first Hollywood production at the heels of his whopping adventure THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961), which earned him an Oscar nomination. Under the palette of sharp monochrome, it is a four-square good vs. evil battle of wits and guts, law-abiding lawyer Sam Bowden (Peck) would do anything to protect his family, wife Peggy (Bergen) and their 14-year-old daughter Nancy (Martin, an ambivalent impersonation between girl and woman), from the menacing figure Max Cady (Mitchum), an ex-con served 8 years behind the bar, now seeks revenge to Sam, who was the key witness of his conviction. After Cady's blatant re-surface in his hometown, a cautious Sam doesn't waste any time to pull some strings from his friend, police chief Mark Dutton (Balsam), to obstruct Cady in every possible way, which doesn't work out since Cady is a daredevil with enough dough to stay wherever he pleases. A chilling sidebar involving Cady and a loose woman Diane Taylor (Chase, sending up a riveting condemnation of women who are intuitively drawn to a man's sinister allure, over- confidently overlooks all the glaring warning signs) substantiates that Cady is the absolute scourge, amoral, ferocious and beyond any redemption, although his underside is circumspectly circumvented. Interestingly enough, the film engagingly plays up the psychosomatic distress of Sam's family before Cady actually goes full-throttle (except for a venomous dog-poisoning misdeed), a rather incredible episode of Nancy hiding in the suddenly empty school after seeing Cady approaching to her is both eyebrow-raising and absorbing. When the law enforcement fails miserably to forestall Cady's ultimate transgression, Sam turns to private eye Charlie Sievers (Savalas) for keeping a close eye on Cady, and tries futilely to grease the palm of him, until some ineffectual hired thugs really ruffle Cady's feathers. A final face-off would take place in the ominous Cape Fear where Peggy and Nancy are inopportunely deployed as vulnerable decoys, but what if Cady can outguess Sam's moves? Does he have time to save both? Mitchum is a superlative villain, slightly idealized apropos of his omnipotence, he exudes undeniable menace and can haunt you in your worst nightmare, the interrogation scenes between him and Bergen are high-water marks of screen intimidation and capitulation (nice improvisation with the eggs!). Peck is also gung-ho is a less showboating role, a conscientious family man who is press-ganged into going off the beaten path to save the day, scarcely loses his composure until things escalating out of his clutches. Superbly emboldened by a competent cast and its eerily perturbing score from Bernard Hermann, J. Lee Thompson's CAPE FEAR is a top-shelf manipulation of suspense and terror, plus a cri-de- coeur to attest why a restraining order is so requisite in our society, for without it, we are practically defenseless when facing a lurking psychopath.

Cape Fear (1962): Dir: J. Lee Thompson / Cast: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Martin Balsam, Telly Savalas, Polly Bergen: Shocking thriller about the dwelling of fear and paranoia. Gregory Peck stars as a happily married lawyer whose life is interrupted when Max Cady re-enters his life. He was the testimonial witness that jailed Cady for eight years for abusing a young woman. Now Cady spies on Peck and his family, even going so far to stalk his daughter after school. He even poisons their dog but without any detection. Peck goes to the police but Cady remains just inside the law. Terrific setup that builds tension right up to its rousing climax. Director J. Lee Thompson delivers nail-biting results. Robert Mitchum portrays Cady as a repulsive animal who will stop at nothing short of retaliation. He remains a threat despite any odds thrown his way including three thugs hired to beat him up. Peck displays desperation as the threat nears. He ponders his resources even at the cost of the law, but will ultimately have to deal with this himself. The supporting roles lack greater dimension. Martin Balsam plays a police chief who issues standard advice, and Telly Savalas plays a detective who does the routine. Polly Bergen plays Peck's wife who is afraid for her husband and daughter and attempts to bring reason to the chaos. Shows fear in its extremes and our sacrifice of innocence to wash away its existence. Score: 7 ½ / 10