Martin Scorsese
Cape Fear - Il Promontorio della Paura

THE REVIEW

The sense of a higher justice, different from that established by laws and human arbitrariness, is often the reason running through the theme of revenge.

Also in "Cape Fear," by Martin Scorsese, the struggle between the two protagonists revolves around two different ideas of justice. A psychopathic convict, Max Cady (Robert De Niro), is released from prison after serving a sentence for rape; during his incarceration, Cady has carefully studied the case files and the laws, only to discover that his lawyer, Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), omitted details that could have led the jury to reduce his sentence. From that moment on, Max has one goal: to make life impossible for his former lawyer. Sam soon finds himself being stalked by the former client, who stops him on the street, threatens him, poisons his dog, rapes and tortures a colleague who is in love with him, approaches his teenage daughter Danielle, and manages to exert an ambiguous charm on her, all amidst a growing succession of tension and panic that pervades the entire family. The lawyer, in truth, knows he has not completely fulfilled his duty but justifies himself to both himself and the lawyers he consults with the consideration that Cady raped a sixteen-year-old and is evidently a dangerous psychopath. Cady, for his part, is convinced that, whatever he has done, it was his right to be defended in the best possible way. The conflict between the two will culminate in a dramatic boat chase and a bloody final showdown.

The film, a crescendo of suspense and fear, is undoubtedly enhanced by De Niro's excellent performance, here more than ever diabolical in the role of the psychopath. Ultimately, a good thriller, well-directed by Scorsese (here dealing with a remake, as the original film "Cape Fear," featuring the legendary Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, is from 1962) that certainly does not mark his masterpiece but still offers us an enjoyable film worthy of his name.