i really do not want to compare martin scorsese cape fear to the classic 1962 cape fear film and but i can not help it . not only be i a huge fan of the robert mitchum and gregory peck star cape fear and but when scorsese include scene right out of the previous film ( cady take the key out of the ignition and dog dying ) and even use bernard herrmann score throughout the entire film and he not give me a lot of opportunity to not make a comparison a i can not help but think of the classic cape fear nearly every scene . when compare scorsese version of cape fear to the classic version and the remake come out destroy by the classic while but even when take the film by itself and it still bad . now scorsese and screenwriter wesley strick do not just remake the 1962 cape fear scene for scene and they try to do thing differently . unfortunately this be one of the film problem . go be the original crazy and animal like max cady who be out for personal revenge and the max cady in the 1991 version be a religious fanatic out to save sam bowden and who be in touch with his feminine side ( his word and not mine ) . also go be the stand up and strong sam bowden see in the classic cape fear film and the sam find in the 1991 remake be very goofy and magoo and distrustful and and very unlikable . even mrs. bowden be a completely different character she crazy than max cady be . the overall story have also be change around sam do not testify against cady in court to put him in jail like in the classic version and sam be now cady ex lawyer who cady suspect of not do all he could to keep him out of jail and be out to save him . the overall story have be change and and i do not hold too much against it and but the overall script be also weak all around . other sub plot have be throw into the mix that not only distract from the big picture and they be also just poorly write . the film also include a few frankly absurd scene and be fill with apathetic and even ridiculous line that you can not take the least bit seriously . these aspect take away from the dangerous and thrilling nature that the film be suppose to have and but they have some help in this department as well . now the classic version of cape fear be extraordinarily film with brilliant lighting and a powerfully effective suggestive subtlety combine with a barefaced brutality that deliver thrill when the film call for it and a sense of danger throughout it entirety . however and scorsese be unable to do any of this in his cape fear and give the film a cookie cutter early 1990s look and no sense of danger and no suspenseful scene and and little style ( unless you count animate fire and the skyline style ) . yeah and there be some gruesome violence and some effort be put in to make this cape fear big than the original and but it end up empty and all shock but no awe . if all that wasn not enough and the act isn not great either . robert de niro ( be somehow nominate for an academy award for his performance ) start off alright a max cady and but he get progressively bad until he begin to get nothing but laugh instead of scare by the end of the film . the opposite thing happens for jessica lange and her performance of mrs. bowden and go from overact for most of the film to give a convincing display of fear and desperation towards the end . a sam bowden and nick nolte stay the same throughout the whole film represent beige . juliette lewis ( who also reel in an academy award nomination ) be decent enough in her role a danielle bowden and but she call upon to play a real stupid character and it hard to really like what we see on screen from her . this film seem to be often count a one of the few good remake and and i can not figure out why . i want to like it while i really do i mean and if there go to be a remake of cape fear i would rather like that one too but i just couldn not . contain nothing to be great on it own and be crush by the unavoidable comparison to the original cape fear and i find martin scorsese cape fear to be a very bad film indeed . the best thing about the film be robert mitchum and gregory peck in their supporting role go figure .