Cape Fear (1991)
77%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
5 wins & 21 nominations total
Smart and stylish, Cape Fear is a gleefully mainstream shocker from Martin Scorsese, with a terrifying Robert De Niro peformance
Cape Fear” is a wild ride that will leave you on the edge of your seat, but don’t forget to hold on tight! Scorsese and De Niro team up to create a sinister and dangerous character that will haunt your dreams. While some may find the violence and sexual content too much to handle, others will appreciate the brilliant work with suspense, sound, matte paintings, and violence. Overall, this is a swell B movie dressed in haute cinematic couture that’s worth the watch.
Production Company(ies)
House Productions, Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, London Wing Nut Films,
Distributor
Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Savannah, Georgia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence, and for language
Year of Release
1991
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 8m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1991 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 5, 2004
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by John D MacDonald, James R Webb, Wesley Strick, Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by James Luxford, Adam Nayman, Bill Cosford, Duane Byrge, David Ansen, Owen Gleiberman, David Nusair, Danny Brogan, Brian Mckay, Kevin Carr, Emanuel Levy, Frank Swietek, R MPAA rating, Robert De Niro as producer, Barbara De Fina as producer
Worldwide gross: $182,291,969
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $402,389,671
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 381
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 43,881,098
US/Canada gross: $79,091,969
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $174,586,909
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 435
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,261,025
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $22,650,095
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 595
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $77,258,689
Production budget ranking: 541
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $41,603,804
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $283,527,179
ROI to date (est.): 239%
ROI ranking: 552
Nick Nolte – Sam Bowden
Jessica Lange – Leigh Bowden
Juliette Lewis – Danielle Bowden
Joe Don Baker – Claude Kersek
Robert Mitchum – Lieutenant Elgart
John D. MacDonald – Writer
James R. Webb – Writer
Wesley Strick – Writer
Martin Scorsese – Director
Robert De Niro – Producer
Barbara De Fina – Producer
Director(s)
Martin Scorsese
Writer(s)
John D. MacDonald, James R. Webb, Wesley Strick
Producer(s)
Robert De Niro, Barbara De Fina
Film Festivals
Tribeca
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
5 wins & 21 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (14)
(De Niro) had played a tough guy before, but never quite like this: a very sinister, very jagged, very dangerous character… put that together with Martin Scorsese at possibly the peak of his powers, and it’s a delightful if slightly scary film.
May 6, 2022
James Luxford
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Martin Scorsese wasn’t supposed to remake the 1962 thriller, but when he did, he brought along his longtime muse and infused the story with an overwhelming amount of trademark chaos…
November 20, 2021
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
It’s a mess, really. But what a mess! Why do we call Scorsese one of the great filmmakers of his generation? Because, like all the great ones, even when he fails he fails with style and with wit.
August 17, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
Bill Cosford
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
The wrath of De Niro, especially when pitched to the level of a jangle-brained Jehovah, is a mighty thing, but, in this case, its inherent cartoonery capsizes this film’s small-story frame.
November 19, 2019
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
It gives you a pumped-up, thrill-happy ride (assuming you have a stomach for violent pulp) but it doesn’t linger in the mind as Scorsese’s richest movies do. It’s a swell B movie dressed in haute cinematic couture.
February 7, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: A
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
…an exceedingly pulpy and over-the-top thriller that’s been suffused with a whole host of appealingly less-than-subtle elements…
December 1, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Scorsese/De Niro revenge thriller has sexual violence.
July 14, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Danny Brogan
Common Sense Media
Tedious remake of a “thriller” that wasn’t that thrilling to begin with
October 18, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com
shows brilliant work with suspense, sound, matte paintings and violence
August 24, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
Scorsese’s remake (also hommage in some ways) is inferior to the original 1962 version, though the acting is good, and both Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis garnered Oscar nominations.
January 20, 2012 | Rating: B-
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
July 5, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Frank Swietek
One Guy’s Opinion…
Plot
Imprisoned for brutally assaulting a young girl, Max Cady spends his time in jail wisely – reading literature, sculpting his body to perfection and planning his violent revenge on the defence lawyer who put him behind bars. After serving his fourteen year sentence, Cady is released from prison and his rampage begins.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Robert De Niro’s “terrifying” performance as Max Cady in Cape Fear.
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