Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese’s filmography is full of award-winning masterpieces starring Robert De Niro – think ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’ or ‘Goodfellas’. A film that earned De Niro his sixth Oscar nomination in 1992 is often overlooked: in the star-studded ‘Cape of Fear’, the superstar, in the role of a brutally murderous ex-con, enters into a bitter duel with one (Nick Nolte). Lawyer.
Fans of the yellow cartoon family also know: The gripping psychological thriller served as the template for one of the best ‘Simpsons“episodes all the way! In the great 1992 episode “At the Cape of Fear,” Homer, Bart & Co. escape. as “Thompsons” of arch-enemy Tingeltangel-Bob in a witness protection program. Martin Scorsese’s extremely exciting original, which in turn is a remake of the black-and-white classic ‘Bait for the Beast’ with Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck, includes DVD and Blu-ray* as well as for a small price as video on demand, for example on Amazon Prime Video:
That’s what ‘Cape of Fear’ is about
Rapist Max Cady (Robert De Niro) is released from prison after serving a 14-year sentence. His path leads him to the man to whom he believes he owes his stay in prison: lawyer Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) was his lawyer in court at the time, but left important documents that acquitted his client unmentioned. The lawyer saw the brutal Cady, whose crimes had previously not been proven, as a danger to the public.
After the first meeting with Cady, who from then on terrorizes Bowden and threatens reprisals, the lawyer must fear for the lives of his wife Leigh (Jessica Lange) and his daughter Danielle (Juliette Lewis). And Cady is smart: the police cannot protect the Bowdens because the ex-con’s provocations are not punishable and it cannot be proven that he committed terrorism. When Cady ends up raping Bowden’s colleague Lori Davis (Illeana Douglas), the father of the family hires private investigator Claude Kersek (Joe Don Baker) and takes the law into his own hands – with drastic consequences…
Moving film – great parody
Making it a ‘Simpsons’ episode is always a tribute; creator Matt Groening’s series has been delighting his fanbase for decades and had its heyday in the early ’90s. In addition to the dramatic showdown on a houseboat, many other motifs from “Cape of Fear” were satirized in the Season 5 episode mentioned in the introduction – whether it is the slightly varied, unmistakably thumping melody of score master Bernard Herrmann, a painful hiding under a car or the many prison tattoos on Cady’s body (keyword: “DIE BEARD DIE”).
If, like the author of these lines, you saw the satire first and later encountered Scorsese’s adrenaline-pumping original, that doesn’t detract from your enjoyment. There are only a few spoilers due to the animated episode, and some “Simpsons” fans will probably only realize where all the innuendos are coming from.
When ‘Cape Fear’ premiered in US cinemas in 1991, it was already overshadowed by the popular 1960s original, directed by J. Lee Thompson and reminiscent of the style of Alfred Hitchcock. However, this shadowy existence does injustice to Scorsese’s remake, which is also based on John D. MacDonald’s novel ‘The Executioners’: although Nick Nolte remains below his potential, In addition to the exciting story, the excellent performances of Robert De Niro and newcomer Juliette Lewis, who made her breakthrough with the film, are worth listening to. She was also nominated for an Oscar.
Psychic terror with full physical exertion
While Lewis stars as the innocent, curious Lolita from a good family and becomes involved with the dangerous seducer Cady in a scene full of tension and subtle eroticism, De Niro impresses in the role of the vengeful psychopath. The exceptional actor also went to physical extremes for the role: De Niro had his teeth sharpened before filming and tattoos made with vegetarian dyes, which only disappeared from his skin months later!
The aggressively edited, strongly staged and penetrating revenge thriller derives its steep tension curve mainly from the treacherous cat-and-mouse game. The cheeky Cady does not immediately seek confrontation, but intimidates Bowden with his mind games so cleverly that he soon makes his first mistake. The sympathies are not nearly as clearly divided as you might initially think: Bowden is not an impeccable lawyer, while the rapist also collects sympathy points – only to pull the mask off his face the next moment and shock people with his brutality.
After a few claustrophobic home invasion moments (including an exciting wig scene), the film finally moves towards its visually stunning showdown on a houseboat, where the horror elements finally come to the fore. Unlike the “Simpsons”, the chainsaw remains in the closet – otherwise Max Cady, fantastically played by Robert De Niro, would not have to hide here from Leatherface & Co….