In Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear, Max Cady spent 14 years in prison.
Robert De Niro plays Cady, a convicted rapist who is released after serving his sentence and begins stalking Sam Bowden, the lawyer he blames for the outcome of his original trial. Nick Nolte plays Bowden, with Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis portraying members of his family.
The 1991 film is a remake of J. Lee Thompson’s 1962 film Cape Fear, which starred Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. Both versions were based on John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel The Executioners.
Scorsese’s remake expands the psychological and visual intensity of the original and includes appearances by Peck and Mitchum in supporting roles. De Niro received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and the film was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Juliette Lewis.