Cape Fear

The problem with seeing more and more noirs, especially with most of them failing to make any kind of impression, is that they start to feel like parodies of what they are supposed to be. Cape Fear is a good example. What should be a tense and dark crime/thriller, is really just a tepid and spun-out revenge plot.

When Max Cady is released from prison, he has just one thing on his mind: take revenge on Bowden, the lawyer who put him behind bars. He starts to stalk Bowden and his family, who calls on the police to protect himself. But as long as Cady doesn't pose a physical threat, there is nothing they can do.

It's a pretty simple setup, followed by a lot of dialogue and postponing the inevitable finale. I was a bit surprised to see the big finale on the boat wasn't even present in the original (the most iconic scene from Scorsese's remake), but truth be told, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Pretty dull.