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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | I wanted you to be just the way you were the last time I saw you. | „ |
| ~ Max Cady to Sam Bowden in Cape Fear (1962). |
| “ | You're gonna learn about loss. | „ |
| ~ Cady threatening Sam Bowden |
Maximilian "Max" Cady is the main antagonist of John D. MacDonald's novel The Executioners, as well as its 1962 film adaptation Cape Fear and its 1991 remake.
He is a psychopathic ex-con who is obsessed with getting revenge against lawyer Sam Bowden for putting him in prison.
In the 1962 film, he was portrayed by the late Robert Mitchum. In the remake, he was portrayed by Robert De Niro.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
- In the novel and original film, Max Cady blames Sam Bowden for ruining his life by putting him in prison for testifying against him, despite the fact that he was in jail for the rape of a teenage girl.
- In the remake, he is specifically angry with Bowden for hiding evidence that could have gotten him a lighter sentence or an acquittal as the evidence proved that his victim was promiscuous-however Bowden calls him out on how pity this excuse is, especially given Cady had bragged to him before about beating two other rape cases, further proving it wouldn't have mattered either way.
- What makes him especially heinous in the remake is that he uses the Bible to justify his actions of tormenting Bowden as a way of "helping" him for his actions of purposefully not doing his job in defending him properly-despite the fact that Cady is a rapist and murderer who clearly takes personal pleasure in tormenting Bowden and his family, while Bowden did what he did out of pity for the poor girl Cady beat and raped.
- While he claims to be doing what he does out of vengeance for losing his family, he neglects the fact that he was in jail for his own evil nature and that losing them is entirely on himself. This excuse holds even less water given in the original film he raped his ex-wife, while in the remake, it's implied that he killed her.
- What's even worse is, in the original novel, he threatened to murder her children if she ever tried report his raping of her.
- Stalking Sam Bowden and his family while doing so in a way that he knows won't get him in trouble legally, just to torment him.
- He uses biblical passages to justify his crimes.
- Threatening Bowden's family.
- Killing the Bowdens' dog.
- Shooting and wounding Bowden's son (novel).
- Attempting to seduce Bowden's teenage daughter by posing as her theater teacher.
- In the novel and original film, he beats and rapes a prostitute, knowing full well that she wouldn't testify and using this to show his power over Bowden. This act is repeated in the remake but instead towards Bowden's friend and colleague, Lori Davis, doing so solely to hurt him.
- Savagely beating the men Bowden paid to beat him up.
- Nearly destroying Bowden's relationship with his family through his actions (remake).
- Murdering the private investigator Bowden hired (a cop in the novel).
- Killing the Bowdens' maid (remake).
- Raping Bowden's wife and later tries to kill his daughter (novel and original film).
- Takes Bowden hostage and beats him before attempting to rape and kill his wife and daughter in front of him (remake).
External Links[]
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 Pure Evils
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Animated Features Live-Action Features Animated Television See Also | ||
