Cape Fear Psychological Review essays

Cape Fear Psychological Review essays Martin Scorseses Cape Fear is a remake of the 1962 classic by Robert Mitchum. The movie is about a lawyer and his family tormented by a homicidal maniac who blames the man for his many years spent in prison. The prisoner, played by Robert De Niro, spends all of his time tormenting the lawyer, Nick Nolte. De Niros character Max Cady was charged with rape of a 16-year-old girl. At the time of the trial, Noltes character Sam, received evidence that would have gotten Cady off. Sam could not bear to let Cady off, knowing that he had done such a thing to this young girl. While in prison, Cady learned to read, and taught himself the law. He came to realize what Sam had done to him. After 14 years of imprisonment, he comes out seeking vengeance on Sam Bowden. Sam, his wife Leigh, and daughter Danny, all becomes victim to Cadys games. From scene to scene, you never see Cady actually acting out towards the Bowdens, but you just know that he was behind the horror. Throughout the movi e, Cadys psychological disorders become quite evident. Although the movie starts with Cady leaving prison, his psychological problems began before his release from prison. Fourteen years before the movie takes place, Sam Bowden did something wrong as a lawyer. He was paid to be a defense attorney. One of the obligations that a lawyer has towards his client is to represent him by the best of their ability. Sam Bowden failed to do so. He buried the only evidence that would have gotten his client off. Sam knew that Cady could not read, and he did not think that it would be such a big deal if he did this. While this may make a defense attorney a bad lawyer, he felt that he could not ethically let Cady go. Knowing that Cady had done the crime, and had previously beaten the system two other times, Sam felt he should go to jail. Unfortunately, for Sam, Cady learned to read in prison. He educated himself so much that ...