Cape Fear
1991 · Movie · R · 128 min · ★ 7.3 · 75% critics
A small-town corporate attorney’s past mistake returns when a released former defendant begins targeting him and his family. What starts as intimidation and psychological pressure escalates into a relentless campaign of fear and loss that forces the attorney to fight back as the danger tightens.
Based on Cape Fear, The Executioners
Also known as Les nerfs à vif
Where to watch
Rent from $3.99 or buy from $14.99.
2 hours to watch.
Rent
Streaming availability and prices may be inaccurate or change — verify with the provider before subscribing.
unSUB's subscription recommendations are informational only, not financial advice.
More value for your money
Similar titles, ranked by watch-hours per subscription dollar.
Details
- Years
- 1991
- Release date
- 1991-11-13
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Critic score
- 75/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (3,888 votes)
- Box office
- $182,291,969
- Budget
- $35,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a tense courtroom-to-terror revenge thriller with a chilling villain at the center; Not for you if you dislike prolonged suspense, weird tone choices, or highly extreme, unsettling behavior like in the similar titles Insomnia or Eye of God.
Pros: menacing lead performance; steady tension; strong cast | Cons: uneven tone/angles; slow or drawn out; polarizing plausibility
Themes
- prison
- small town
- child abuse
- rape
- houseboat
- cigar smoking
- remake
- revenge
- stalking
- lawyer
- psychological thriller
- fear
- +6 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1992 · nominated
Cast & crew
Robert De Niro
as Max Cady
Nick Nolte
as Sam Bowden
Jessica Lange
as Leigh Bowden
Juliette Lewis
as Danielle Bowden
Joe Don Baker
as Claude Kersek
Robert Mitchum
as Lieutenant Elgart
Gregory Peck
as Lee Heller
Martin Balsam
as Judge
Illeana Douglas
as Lori Davis
Fred Thompson
as Tom Broadbent
Directed by Martin Scorsese