Cape Fear
“Sam Bowden has always provided for his family's future. But the past is coming back to haunt them.”
Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.
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Cast
43 people
Nick Nolte
Sam Bowden
Known for
The Thin Red Line
Warrior
Robert De Niro
Max Cady
Known for
Joker
GoodFellas
Jessica Lange
Leigh Bowden
Known for
Big Fish
Tootsie
Juliette Lewis
Danielle Bowden
Known for
Natural Born Killers
Yellowjackets
Joe Don Baker
Claude Kersek
Known for
GoldenEye
Mud
Robert Mitchum
Lieutenant Elgart
Known for
The Night of the Hunter
Out of the Past
Gregory Peck
Lee Heller
Known for
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Omen
Martin Balsam
Judge
Known for
12 Angry Men
Psycho
Illeana Douglas
Lori Davis
Known for
Stir of Echoes
Ghost World
Fred Thompson
Tom Broadbent
Known for
Law & Order
Sinister
Zully Montero
Graciella
Known for
Broken Angel
Aurora
Craig Henne
Prisoner
Martin Scorsese Director · Wesley Strick Screenplay John D. MacDonald Author
Worldwide gross $182M · Budget $35M · United States release November 15, 1991
Box office
Budget
$35,000,000
Worldwide gross
$182,300,000
Gross vs. budget
5.2×
Production
Amblin Entertainment
Production
Cappa Productions
Production
Tribeca Productions
Production
Universal Pictures
Production · Studio
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
United States · October 6, 1991
Premiere · New York City, New York
United States · November 15, 1991
Theatrical
Argentina
February 27, 1992 · Theatrical
Australia
January 9, 1992 · Theatrical
Belgium
March 1, 1992 · Premiere · Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival
Brazil
February 27, 1992 · Theatrical
Canada
November 13, 1991 · Theatrical
Colombia
December 1, 1991 · Theatrical
Denmark
March 6, 1992 · Theatrical
Finland
February 28, 1992 · Theatrical
France
March 18, 1992 · Theatrical
November 18, 2003 · Physical
November 15, 2011 · Physical · Blu-Ray
October 21, 2015 · Theatrical · Re-release
August 5, 2017 · Digital · VOD
October 12, 2022 · Digital · Prime Video
Germany
February 21, 1992 · Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival
February 27, 1992 · Theatrical
June 14, 2026 · Digital · Arte•tv
Greece
March 6, 1992 · Theatrical
Hong Kong SAR China
January 1, 1992 · Theatrical
Hungary
April 3, 1992 · Theatrical
Ireland
April 3, 1992 · Theatrical
Italy
March 4, 1992 · Theatrical
Japan
December 21, 1991 · Theatrical
Mexico
September 18, 2001 · Physical · DVD
Netherlands
March 13, 1992 · Theatrical
October 20, 2011 · Physical · DVD
Norway
March 5, 1992 · Theatrical
Philippines
May 17, 2021 · Digital
Poland
October 18, 2011 · Physical · Blu-ray
Portugal
March 6, 1992 · Theatrical
Romania
November 13, 1991 · Theatrical
Singapore
October 18, 2011 · Physical · Blu-ray
South Korea
March 14, 1992 · Theatrical
Spain
March 11, 1992 · Theatrical
Sweden
March 6, 1992 · Theatrical
December 9, 1992 · Physical · VHS
March 6, 2002 · Physical · DVD
October 19, 2011 · Physical · Blu-ray
Switzerland
February 28, 1992 · Theatrical · German
March 20, 1992 · Theatrical · French
Türkiye
April 17, 1992 · Theatrical
United Arab Emirates
September 13, 2021 · Physical · DVD
United Kingdom
March 6, 1992 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.