Make no mistake, Antosca, Spielberg and Scorsese’s new adaptation of Cape Fear for Apple TV is a masterclass in tension and fear and one of the best TV thrillers I’ve seen in the past 10 years.
John D MacDonald’s psychological thriller, The Executioners, was first published in 1957 and was quickly optioned by Cornel Wilde and then picked up by Gregory Peck’s production company, Melville Productions, for a big-screen outing. Renamed Cape Fear with Universal leading distribution, Peck would lead the cast alongside the truly terrifying Robert Mitchum as Max Cady, an ex-convict hell-bent on revenge at any cost. With a score by Bernard Herrmann, the truly stunning direction of J. Lee Thompson, atmospheric cinematography from Sam Leavitt, and killer performances, Cape Fear performed well at the box office and, over time, earned its cult status as one of the best psychological thrillers ever made.
It was no surprise, therefore, that Martin Scorsese would revisit MacDonald’s story and Thompson’s film twenty-nine years later with Nick Nolte as Bowden and a truly terrifying Robert De Niro as Cady in 1991. Scorsese’s remake would gross $182.3 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, becoming a major commercial success. Now 35 years on, Scorsese is back, this time with Steven Spielberg and Nick Antosca, with a TV adaptation that honours the past while expanding on the story so many of us know and love. This Apple TV adaptation adds texture, challenging simple labels of good versus evil and delving even further into the power of manipulation, the psychological turmoil of gaslighting, and the modern horrors of catfishing, cancel culture and the court of public opinion.
Be in no doubt, you may know the foundations of this story, but Antosca takes it in new directions that are utterly thrilling, engrossing and terrifying, in an immaculately crafted ten-episode run. Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson play our lawyers, Anna and Tom Bowden, who, alongside their teenage kids, Natalie (Lily Collias) and Zach (Joe Anders), live in a sprawling house in Savannah, Georgia. It would appear on the surface that this family have the perfect life; however, cracks are present even before Cady is set free after years in prison. Anna knows Max Cady well; she defended his case but ultimately sent him to prison on a plea deal with the State Prosecutor (now her husband). From the minute Cady is freed, she fears his fierce intelligence, willpower and strength. But she has nothing to worry about, right? After all, Max Cady wouldn’t risk being sent back to prison.
Javier Bardem offers the most fascinating and terrifying interpretation of Cady yet, and that’s no mean feat given the performances of his predecessors Mitchum and De Niro. Bardem’s Cady is charming, convincing and even gentle as he pulls the strings of each member of the Bowden family like a puppeteer manipulating a marionette. There’s no over-exaggeration in Bardem’s performance, nor is there any pantomime villainy; his Cady is all too real, and therefore more terrifying than we have ever seen before, his smile hiding the horror of his internal rage and his meticulous plan for revenge.
Apple TV has become a home to the standard of drama we used to see regularly on HBO, and Cape Fear is another stellar addition that is worth the subscription fee alone. Make no mistake, Antosca, Spielberg and Scorsese’s new adaptation of Cape Fear is a masterclass in tension and fear and one of the best TV thrillers I’ve seen in the past 10 years. So let me ask you a question: what is your worst fear? Cape Fear knows that for many of us, the answer is a loss of control in our lives and the collapse of certainty, safety and security. This sublime TV adaptation will, if there is any justice, scoop up more than a few awards in the year ahead.
All episodes of Cape Fear are now available to watch on Apple TV.
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