Cape Fear (1991)

     Upon finishing John D. MacDonald's 1957 novel The Executioners, it became exceedingly clear to me why Martin Scorsese--my very favorite director; the man is a living deity--chose to remake Cape Fear from the stellar 1962 adaptation starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum (who both make cameo appearances in Scorsese's update). With the novel not even clocking in at 200 pages, why did Martin Scorsese feel the need to revisit this meager, fairly by-the-numbers thriller? The answer lies in the character of Samuel Bowden.

     Both the novel and the original film portray Bowden as a good, all-American man simply stuck trying to defend his family, and himself from the hulking, deranged rapist known as Max Cady. Scorsese wisely strips away Bowden's veneer of moral infallibility and self-righteousness by portraying him as a flawed and guilty individual himself. The perfect, Leave it to Beaver-esque family dynamic of the novel and original film are nowhere to be found, instead we find a family re-imagined with only one child--a teenage daughter, this time named Danny as opposed to Nancy--and a much less healthy marital dynamic than the one portrayed in the original film/novel. It is implied they have been through a great deal (counseling) as a couple to overcome Sam's past infidelities, and he even appears to be on the verge of initiating another in the early parts of the film.

     Unlike the picturesque, wholesome portrayal of Nancy found in the original film, Scorsese's Danny is a shy, reclusive teenager who retreats to her room and the comfort of MTV whenever her parents initiate another grueling shouting match. As Roger Ebert put it in his original review of Cape Fear; "Everyone in this film is weak in one way or another, and there are no heroes. That's the Scorsese touch." This is a family saddled with a great deal of turmoil before Max Cady even enters their lives, and his appearance only exacerbates the already tumultuous relationship between members of the family.
  
     (The few) Detractors of Scorsese's work point out that he considers plot insignificant, but this isn't true, he simply adores his characters and their interactions and development as they progress through the narrative. It's not that plot isn't important, it's just that characters take precedent. Scorsese's recognition of the potential for a much more difficult and antagonistic family dynamic between the Bowden's added a great deal of thematic depth to what could be considered a relatively straightforward thriller.

     The decision to add the strange sexual dynamic between Cady and Danny was also an unexpected--and I thought, fairly inspired--addition to the original story; it not only further involves Danny in the narrative (for the nature of Cady's original crime, Nancy was not fully utilized as a character in the original story), but adds another timber to the aforementioned fiery family situation, especially when Sam is horrified at Danny's apparent curiosity/interest in Cady.

     I would be remiss to not mention Robert De Niro in any discussion of Cape Fear, and his startling portrayal of Cady as the sadistic, iron-pumping mountain-man is truly a feast for the senses. The consummate method actor--until recent years, some might argue--De Niro paid a brave dentist $5,000 to file down and mangle his teeth for Cady's grimy oral appearance, paying him $25,000 to repair them once filming was complete. Cady's evocative tattoos were achieved through the use of vegetable dyes, which eventually faded after several months. De Niro also reportedly trimmed down to less than 5% body fat for the role, one which earned him his last Academy Award nomination until 2012's Silver Linings Playbook.