Cape Fear: Book vs. Movie
Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991) reworks the 1962 film based on John D. MacDonald's book The Executioners. Robert De Niro plays Max Cady, an ex-prisoner who targets the family of the lawyer he blames for his conviction.
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
- Martin Scorsese
- Writer
- James R. Webb, Wesley Strick
- Year
- 1991
- Runtime
- 2 hr 8 minWatch on Amazon
- Cast
- Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
- Genre
- crime drama, crime thriller, Drama, neo-noir, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Southern Gothic, Thriller
- IMDb
- View on IMDb
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.
Other adaptations of this book
The ExecutionersCape Fear · Movie · 1962Details
- Director
- J. Lee Thompson
- Writer
- James R. Webb, John D. MacDonald
- Year
- 1962
- Runtime
- 1 hr 46 min
- Cast
- Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Telly Savalas
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.
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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