Cape Fear: Book vs. Movie
J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear (1962) adapts John D. MacDonald's book The Executioners. Gregory Peck plays lawyer Sam Bowden, whose family is stalked by Robert Mitchum's Max Cady after his release from prison.
About the book and the movie
- Author
- John D. MacDonald
- Year
- 1957
- Pages
- 208Buy book
- Audiobook length
- 6 hr 11 minGet audiobook
- Narrator
- Stephen Hoye, Dean Koontz (introduction)
Lawyer Sam Bowden's testimony once helped send Max Cady to prison. Now free, Cady begins stalking Bowden's family, using intimidation that leaves the police with little they can act on. As the threat moves closer to his wife and children, Bowden finds his confidence in the law giving way to the temptation to protect them by other means.
- Director
- J. Lee Thompson
- Writer
- James R. Webb, John D. MacDonald
- Year
- 1962
- Runtime
- 1 hr 46 minWatch on Amazon
- Cast
- Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Telly Savalas
- Genre
- Crime, crime drama, crime thriller, Drama, film noir, horror, Mystery, psychological drama, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Southern Gothic, Suspense, Thriller
- IMDb
- View on IMDb
After serving a prison sentence, Max Cady tracks down Sam Bowden, the lawyer whose testimony helped convict him. Cady's attention shifts toward Bowden's wife and daughter, but the police can do little while his threats stop short of an actionable crime. Bowden searches for a way to protect his family from a man prepared to wait for an opening.
Other adaptations of this book
The ExecutionersCape Fear · Movie · 1991Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Writer
- James R. Webb, Wesley Strick
- Year
- 1991
- Runtime
- 2 hr 8 min
- Cast
- Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
Lawyer Sam Bowden's comfortable family life is disrupted when Max Cady, a former client, leaves prison convinced that Sam sabotaged his defense. Cady begins targeting Sam's wife and teenage daughter, staying just beyond the reach of the law. Unable to make the harassment stop, Sam considers measures that risk exposing his own wrongdoing.
The ExecutionersCape Fear · Series · 2026 · Apple TVDetails
- Creator
- Nick Antosca
- Year
- 2026
- Episode
- 45 min
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 10
- Network
- Apple TV
- Cast
- Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, CCH Pounder
Attorneys Anna and Tom Bowden have built a marriage and a life together when a man from their past returns. Max Cady is out of prison and holds them responsible for putting him there. His pursuit of revenge makes the couple's home and family the focus of a case they can no longer keep at a professional distance.
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