Two versions of the same film. In the 1961 version Robert Mitchum plays the sadistic Max Cady (Robert Mitchum). Fresh out of prison Cady is determined to have his revenge on Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck), the lawyer who helped send him away. Menacing Bowden's wife and teenage daughter with obscene phonecalls and implied threats, Cady never does anything which would allow the police to arrest him, and thereby provokes Bowden to go beyond the confines of the law and engage him in direct confrontation. Famed for Mitchum's sinister performance and Bernard Herrmann's atmospheric score, 'Cape Fear' is one of the great classics of the late studio era. The 1991 version by Martin Scorcese stars Nick Nolte as Sam Bowden, Jessica Lange as his wife, Juliette Lewis as his teenage daughter and Robert De Niro as Max Cady - with Peck and Mitchum appearing in cameo roles.