Cape Fear (1991), directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro as Max Cady, is a psychological thriller that masterfully blends campy comedy with horrific tension, featuring one of cinema's most terrifying villains who uses his intelligence and physical training to systematically destroy Sam Bowden's family, exploring themes of justice, revenge, and the hypocrisy of the legal system while maintaining constant Hitchcockian suspense throughout its runtime.
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CAPE FEAR (1991) – Scorsese’s Most Terrifying Film?!Added:
If you're paying somebody to beat somebody up, you wanting like Stallone to show up. Schwarzenegger.
Kersick like hired Kevin and I.
>> Oh my god.
>> Those those dudes were not big enough for this job.
>> Welcome to Straight Jacket Talk, where we watch movies of madness and then dissect them. Tonight we're talking about Cape Fear from 1991.
It was written by Wesley Strick and directed by Martin Scorsese. It's based on the novel The Executioners by John D.
Macdonald. Cape Fear had a budget of $35 million. Do you know how much it made at the box office? Nathan, what are you thinking?
>> Oh jeez, I don't know. I mean, it's a Scorsesei, but it's not like it's good, fellas. I'm going to say it made some money and let's call it $90 million.
>> Talking out of my ass, I'm going to say $143 million for no reason.
>> Well, talking out of your ass, you're the closest. Cape Fear made $182.3 million, >> so it did really well.
>> Yeah, pretty big movie. The letter box rating is at a 3.7 out of five and currently sits at a 77% on thermometer.
But what did we think of this movie?
Before we go any further, if you could please hit the like and subscribe buttons. Also, hit the notification bell because when we have a new video, you'll be the first to know. Isn't that right, Nathan?
>> Yes, it's a privilege.
>> This was my pick for an episode. So, the reason why I chose Cape Fear for us to review is recently we had done the uh trailer reaction for the new Capefar show on Apple TV that's coming out. I had never seen this movie before. It's always been on my list. It's up there. I had always heard about Robert Dairo's performance, Martin Scorsesei dipping his toes into a thriller horror area.
So, I was uh definitely wanting to check this movie out and I did and it did not disappoint. This movie has a lot of incredible things and I was wondering afterwards, this movie isn't talked about all that much in my opinion uh out there.
>> That's true.
>> I agree.
>> I mean, it's definitely famous. It's not like people don't know the name, but nobody talks about it at all.
>> For sure. Like I don't think, you know, especially the performances are really talked about anymore. Even the story itself is really really creepy and and terrifying. And I think this is a perfect movie to bring to Straight Jacket Talk and and really dive into because I think this is a movie that more people should be talking about for sure. Let's give you our overall thoughts on Cape Fear. Nathan, start us off. Cape Fear. This is a a movie that uh is really fun and campy until it's not uh suddenly. There's a lot of fun moments of comedy and you have a villain that's really fun until all of a sudden he starts actually doing the villainous things and then it is horrific and terrifying and uncomfortable. And it's funny that it sort it almost changes tones in a way. It just works in a way that I don't think a movie that changes tones like that that often usually does. It's very uh Hitchcock thriller. The soundtrack especially reminds me of like an old 50s60s Hitchcock flick. I think it's great. Max Katy is one of the best villains I've seen in a long time. He's charming and then you hate him for what he actually does. Yeah. No, I I like it a lot. Uh, what did you think, Jill?
>> Not too long ago, we did the trailer reaction for the new remake that's coming out soon. Me and you, Nathan, we had never seen it before, right? Like this one, the 1991 version. So, we were like, I don't know what's going on. like we had a hard time. Uh but I'm really glad you picked this Kevin because it was unexpected honestly. Like um I had heard of the movie before, but I had no idea what it was going to be about or what type of movie it was, if it was horror, if it was psychological, if if it was a thriller or action or something like that. But I was very pleasantly surprised. And this is one of those movies that just like kept going in directions that surprised me in the best kind of way. It was very pleasant to watch, sometimes unpleasant to watch uh and weird to watch and uncomfortable, but I'm sure we'll talk about that in a bit. But one of my favorite movies of all time that's not a horror movie is another Scorsese movie, Wolf of Wall Street. Um Oh, yeah. And I can kind of see like the craziness and like the kind of humor that's also in that movie. But yeah, this one like I was hooked immediately just with the antics of Max Katy. Actually, this is the only time you'll ever hear me say this. By the way, I think Robert Dairo is kind of hot in this movie. Like I don't know what it is cuz he's such a dirt bag and I do not find him attractive any other time. But this movie, he doesn't care.
>> I always kind of thought that I'm sorry.
>> Nope. No. You say it. You say what you want.
>> I think he's kind of thought that Dairo had a gruff sort of hotness about him.
>> Okay. Not for me.
>> I'm not a woman. I'm not trying to. So, it's, you know, >> I feel like probably conventionally he's somewhat attractive. It's just I don't know. Something about him being a complete like psycho just does it for me, I guess. I don't know what it is.
>> Have you seen Taxi Driver then? I mean, >> oh, you might have to cover that in that way.
>> But yeah, uh there's certain scenes, I don't want to name them yet. I guess I guess we'll talk about them that I was just like, "Holy shit." And it just kept going and then I'd be like, "Holy [ __ ] again." Yeah. I was just like on board for the ride and I had a great time watching this movie. So, thank you, Kevin. It's funny you said like you had a great time cuz when I first watched this, I did not have a good time. And I mean it in the best way possible. Like hear me out.
>> It is for me there's so much tension in this movie. Like right away, right, with that opening score and and throughout like you said Jill, it just it's like one thing and then another thing. And like this movie doesn't let you out of its grasp ever. like it the tension that it just holds you at the whole time.
You're like, "Holy shit." And like you said, Nathan too, like Max Katy, >> he's so charismatic, but he's the villain of villains, you know? Like he's not a good guy.
>> Freaking nuts.
>> In that scene, I I'm jumping ahead here, but in that scene in the theater with Juliet Lewis's character, what's her name?
>> Danielle.
>> Yeah, Danny. Like you get why she's into him, but that's also the most uncomfortable and awful feeling.
You know what I'm saying?
>> It's so gross, but you get where she's coming from. And it's that makes it more gross. Really?
>> Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, Kevin. Go on.
>> No, no, no, no. You know, my overall thoughts, a lot of them are going to be on Max Katie because we all know I love a good villain. Yeah, you do.
>> I got to say too, Juliet Lewis, who plays Danny, her performance at such a young age in this movie is incredible.
>> I did read Tropic of Cancer, >> just parts of it though.
>> Besides Max Katy and Robert Dairo, she's like the other star of this for me at least. And that's not diminishing uh Nick Noly or um Jessica Lang too because I think they're all strong performances, but it just shows you in my opinion the performance Juliet Lewis had at such a young age in this movie. Wow.
>> This movie I think it also has this way about showing you like humanity and yeah, we all are human. We all make mistakes, right? were judged on them or whatever. And it's just there's a lot of like deeper themes I think in this movie. And I'm sure we'll talk about that more throughout this. But I like the way too that yeah, there's the big one in your face of retribution for Max Katie, but there's also like the family dynamics and um you know there's the dynamics of him as a lawyer and the law and all that stuff. So I think it's done really really well. Listen, this movie has some great scenes of horror in my opinion, too. I mean, it doesn't pull punches. And of course, Martin Scorsesei directing this. Some of the shots and stuff, and we'll get into it, too. It's really shot well. So, I I I appreciated all those all those aspects. Um, >> a lot of fancy transitions, fancy color changing stuff. Yeah, >> it's done really well. It gives it like more of an artistic flavor on top of everything else. It's like the fresh fennel on top.
>> Oh my god.
Let's get right into this. And let's get right into Max Katy because Robert Dairo's performance as Max Katy is one of the best performances I've seen in my opinion.
>> Uh Jill, you had talked about it like you think he's attractive in this scene and or in this movie. I mean, I think that kind of goes to him and his transformation into this character because I don't see Robert Dairo when I look at Max Katy. I see Max Katie >> right with the tattoos. I mean, and we see him right away.
>> Nathan, when you saw him right away, what were your thoughts? Like on screen, I believe my note says, "I don't think I've ever seen Demiro this jacked before."
>> Um, and he is jacked as hell in prison.
He comes out of the prison and they're like, "Oh, do you want your books?"
>> What about your books? Already read them.
>> I already read them. And it's like, okay, we've got an idea who of who this character is immediately with like one line. He's just getting out of prison, you know, then he's a badass and he's on a mission and he doesn't need his books.
>> And I love this shot too, right away because it's him walking like directly into the camera, which you don't see much either. It's like to your point, he's on a mission and he's a badass, >> right? Jill, what were your thoughts seeing Max Katy on screen for the first time? Were you like, "Holy [ __ ] this is Robert Dairo."
>> Yeah, I actually had to do a double take and I I looked it up and I was like, there's no way this is him. And it was.
And it it really did shock me. That's why I'm like, it's weird that I find him attractive. But not only is he jacked and he has like the worst tattoos I've ever seen in my life. Oh, that back tattoo is >> a choice.
>> They're prison tattoos, so you know.
>> Yeah. Imagine getting a giant back piece in prison.
>> Oh god. Yeah. No, >> but you kind of touched on it too, Nathan, like the books. And I think that's an aspect of him that's really interesting. He's read all these books in his stint in prison. So, he's very well read.
>> Henry Miller, have you read his trilogy, Plexus, Nexus, and Sex?
>> In a variety of subjects like he knows his philosophy, he knows like his art. Like, he's very intellectual actually. I think that just adds to his character. so much. It makes him smarter. It makes him crazier. It makes him more charming. Especially to Danny when she's, you know, she's convinced that he is her drama teacher.
He's just like such a good predator.
Actually, he's really good at it. Yeah.
>> And there's just like >> all welldressed so poorly. But uh anyway, >> that's the other thing, too. Like when I first saw him, I was like, "Okay, this guy's insane. like he looks crazy, but he has these really funny oneliners. He says the funniest [ __ ] But one of the things I really liked about him was the fact that there was payoff. One of the scenes when he calls Danny and the entire time he's on the phone, he's like hanging upside down and it's like he's training. He's like always training for something and then that pays off later on when there's scenes of him like having to hang on to, you know, like stalk Yeah.
>> or follow people. So, I really like that about his character.
>> He also uh misuses do right man, do right woman in that scene.
>> Well, you can trust in me cuz I'm a do right man.
>> A little upsetting if you like Artha, but you know.
>> Why don't you tell him that? Yeah. I I don't I think I might keep that to myself if he's in the room.
>> Yeah. You don't want to piss him off.
Get that piano wire.
>> Yeah.
>> Oh, check off the piano wire.
>> Wonder why is missing.
>> Oh, yeah. For sure.
>> It's funny, too. The first time I had saw that scene with the piano wire. I didn't put two and two together that Sam talks earlier about. Oh, wait. This key is not uh working. And then he looks and he's like, wow, piano wire is missing.
>> I clocked that [ __ ] I was waiting for it the whole time.
>> You were waiting for it?
>> Oh, yeah. Me, too. Because like piano strings don't just break. Not the way guitar strings do. They're much thicker, much sturdier. You don't have to change them all the time.
>> What a weapon. Love it.
>> One of the things, too, that leads to is this terrifying notion that another payoff, like Jill was saying, he's been in his house multiple times before he really ever makes his presence known.
Well, we kind of figure that out when he kills the dog, right? Like >> when uh Nick Sam tells the the police chief there, "Oh, no, he wasn't actually in the house." I'm like, "Yes, he was.
He had to have been. There's there's no other way around it. She didn't." She says she didn't let the dog out of her sight. He had to have come into the house.
>> Do you think though he's like kind of denying that to himself in a way though, too? Like >> because it's terrifying to think about.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Right.
>> Yeah. Possibly eventually he does Sam does have the epiphany like, "Oh, wait.
He's been in this house before.
>> I just had the weirdest feeling he was already in the house."
>> At these earlier points, he's kind of like, in my opinion, like denying everything a little bit and trying cuz he's the lawyer, right? And I think that's what plays into this, at least Sam's character, too. He's very pragmatic, very by the book. Yeah, he does like things on the outside of the law, but still like there he's a reasonable man. like he's always looking for reasons and things like that. So, Max Katy, I think one of the things that makes him >> the perfect antagonist is he's always looking for ways to have Sam question himself and life and everything else, right? It's what Jill talked about like he read up on everything, right? He's >> intellectually scary.
>> I learned to read during my stretch.
First Spot goes through the farm, then Runaway Bunny, then law books mostly.
>> Not just physically scary, intellectually scary. And I think that's what makes his character so dynamic, too. It's like he knows what he's doing 100%. Throughout I do love how though throughout all of his changes and going to prison and and what he's become now, uh, inherits that money, he's still like kind of trashy. He wears like the worst obnoxious clothes. He has that nice Mustang he buys, right? But then he puts stupid ass bumper stickers on the back.
>> Could you imagine if inheriting $30,000 meant that you had a lot of money these days?
>> You go to the grocery store, it'd be gone. You fill up your car, it'd be gone.
>> One trip.
>> One trip.
>> But he seems too like a very frugal guy.
like in this when you see >> Mustang.
>> I mean, other than that, he's it looks like he's staying in a hotel for God's sakes. I mean, >> that's more expensive.
>> I guess you're right.
>> He's living a life of luxury.
>> One of the things throughout this movie, too, is talking about Sam and the family, right? Is Max Katy is not only trying to, I guess, get to Sam, but he's trying to get this Sam through his family as well.
And that becomes like upping the stakes throughout this and becomes scarier. I I think and if he was just targeting Sam, that'd be one thing.
>> And intentionally trying to drive wedges between them without really even interacting with the wife except for that one time, you know, where he gives her the dog collar back.
>> May I help you?
>> I just found it. I thought you might need it back.
>> Which was really, really cold. But uh but he knows to go after uh Lori because that will cause Sam to have to talk to his wife about Lori. That scene was just horrific.
>> Is that the scene where where you really understand this dude is really [ __ ] up in and taking it to the next level?
>> 100%. Before that, he was kind of funny.
I recognized him as a villain, but like what had he really done on screen anyway? We know about his past. Um, >> yeah, >> it was more like an anti-hero at that point.
>> Yeah, almost. Although his motivations are not exactly noble, but uh still you're just kind of like he's funny. You kind of like watching his antics. You want to hear him talk more. And then the scene with Lori happens and it's just like, oh, right.
>> He did to me hurt a lot worse than this.
>> This is the reality of this character.
He is the [ __ ] worst. He is one of the most evil people. I was thinking too, Jill, I don't know if you picked up on this. Lori throughout this scene is laughing.
>> He's a rough one.
And I know because she's drunk and she's like maybe not taking the whole thing seriously, but this kind of was like I almost felt like a fourth wall with the audience like through her cuz like Nathan you said like we're kind of laughing at him throughout and like >> we're along for the ride. We think he's entertaining. And I think this scene is played out really perfectly because she's also laughing through this stuff cuz he hasn't done anything yet. But then when it turns it's like boom. And I remember like it hitting me like a brick wall. Like whoa.
>> Yeah.
>> You know, >> first it's kind of like he's just flirting with her and she's flirting back >> cuz I'm just one hell of an animal.
>> Yeah. Do tell.
>> I'm like, okay, he's going to get with her and that'll be his revenge. Like I didn't think it would be any more dangerous than that. I didn't think it would get so sinister and then it does.
And it's especially bleak when she's laughing and then he ends up >> breaking her arm.
>> Breaking her arm, doesn't he? Like, and he like bites the skin off of her cheek.
And >> yeah, it's super vile. Four stars. Um, but that's when you see like he's a true sicko because before this he's just kind of like flirting with danger and you're not really sure how far he's going to go with it. like it just seems like he's just trying to kind of infiltrate his way into Sam's life and kind of turn everyone against him. But the fact that he went and hurt Lorie uh to the extent in which he did was really sick. And it kind of mirrors also his meeting with Danny because at first I'm like, "Okay, maybe he's just trying to again like flirt with danger, not go as far as like kissing this child."
>> Yeah.
>> And it like just going places that were really gross. That that was like the hardest thing for me to watch in this whole movie. It made me feel so uncomfortable.
I think that's that was the worst part.
>> Yeah, the Lori scene adds to that scene.
The Lori scene is so important to that scene because you know what he's capable of.
>> He's not just going to be >> he's not just going to be a pedto. He's going to hurt her. And he's setting her up in a way so that he can hurt her in the same way that Lori that he hurt Lori. Lor's dialogue after that in the hospital is like 20 years ahead of its time, by the way. Like that that conversation didn't come into the public lexicon uh until like the year 2010 or something like that. So, it it's it's crazy. I feel like socially this movie is way ahead of its time. And that's part of the reason why he also chose Lori was not just to drive a wedge uh in the family dynamic, but he also knew that like she wasn't going to testify against him at all.
>> Right. Cuz she doesn't want to be put on trial for for the crime that he committed.
>> Yeah. It's [ __ ] up. But he's like using his intelligence to do horrible horrible things for me. the scene that really and and not to underscore this scene with Lori because it did hit me like a like a wall, but the scene for me where I was like, "This guy is different." What? And it was uh just really off was when he pulled up to Sam and Sam was like, "Ah, how much you want?"
>> All right. How much do you want, Mr. Katie?
>> How much do I want? What?
>> How much money do you want?
>> Money? Catherine, do I look destitute to you?
>> Talk about my compensation and what he's been through in prison and like uhoh.
Like he doesn't want money. This isn't about money. Nothing's going to save Sam on this.
>> And I think >> $50,000 >> 50,000 to 14 years. 14 years times 365 days is about I say about 5,000 days.
Now you divide that by 50,000 and that's uh that's like $10 a day.
>> That's not even minimum wage.
>> $10 a day. That's not even minimum wage.
>> Love that part.
>> Yeah. It's eerie though. It's scary cuz he's like, you know, he is again being charming and charismatic, but then he's like, >> "What shall be my compensation, sir, for being held down sodomized by four white guys?" Four. Four black guys. How about four black guys that are sodomizing me?
Like, and then you're like, "Oh, Jesus."
Like, he's really painting a picture of the horrible [ __ ] he's been through here.
>> Yeah. He has uh no desire for money.
>> And I think that sets up the whole idea, too. It's as the audience, we know nothing's stopping him except for a bullet. Like, that's this is what it's going to come down to. I love seeing that dynamic play out throughout this because, you know, then he takes like the next steps of the private investigator. Is that what happens after to follow Katie around and and trying to maybe like scare him off and >> and all this other stuff? And Katie's just one step ahead. And speaking of, I kind of liked that guy. He I he was kind of a buffoon, but uh >> I was his name.
>> Yeah, his name.
>> Last name was Kursk. Yeah, I kind of liked him. He was I don't know. He was charming, but you know, again, he's he's also on the other side of the law, too.
>> There's men that can be hired by me to do a little job on Katie. Little hospital job. What are we talking about?
>> Two pieces of pie for bicycle chain.
>> Cuz he he was like paying guys to beat up Katie. So, there's shadiness there, too.
>> Which, by the way, if you're paying somebody to beat somebody up, you want [ __ ] like Stallone to show up.
Schwarzenegger.
Kersick like hired Kevin and I.
>> Oh my god, >> those those dudes were not big enough for this job. What are you doing?
>> They had a bike chain though.
>> Good for them.
>> What a weapon. Like what a choice. Also, >> watching this, did you think like, "Oh man, they're actually going to beat him up." Or cuz the whole time I was like, "There's no way they can beat him up."
Right.
>> What the hell is a bike chain going to do? First of all, someone tell me. Well, it did cut his chest, right? I was surprised they were even able to manage to draw blood. I I kind of wonder if he he intentionally let them beat him up a little bit for the next scene >> so he could look beat up for later.
Yeah.
>> You need only glance at my client to know that Mr. Bowden made good on his heinous and cowardly threat.
>> That is so true. cuz now Sam can't get a restraining order against Katie and he's got him on tape also like threatening him.
>> By the way, the the most obvious I'm wired scene in cinema history.
>> If you don't leave my family alone and if you don't get out of here, you're going to be hurting like you never dreamed.
>> Could you repeat that?
>> Can you repeat that? And I'm like immediately my brain was like, "Oh, he's wired. He's recording this conversation." And as a lawyer, that dude should know better than to go up and threaten a dude who's about to get his ass beat by a couple of dudes he hired.
>> I think that there's some credibility to what Katie is saying, too, about Sam thinking he's better than him, and >> I think Katie uses that against him.
Definitely in this scene where he wiretaps him, they almost don't get on more equal playing field until Sam realizes like, [ __ ] this guy is really really good. Even the private investigator guy tells him like, "Hey, this guy's pretty good."
>> Yeah, >> there's nothing you can do here. I mean, we got to we got to go to the next steps sort of deal. One of the things I wanted to ask too is what are you guys' thoughts on like the themes throughout this movie, right? Because I think there's a lot of different themes.
There's the biblical themes throughout, right? Uh especially Katie being reading the Bible passages and >> obviously at the end with the river.
There's also like justice, right?
There's revenge, there's guilt, there's hypocrisy. I mean, what were your like big themes that you took out of this?
Because for me, I I think there's a lot of different ones. Uh, and I don't know if there's really an overarching one necessarily, but I do like the idea that like it we're all human. We all make mistakes. And, uh, you know, I think this kind of is one of those movies that shows you like that aspect of it.
>> Starting off with Justice, like we start this movie off Katie in jail. We see that big back piece with like the scales he's got going on. He's like juiced up.
He's like ready to go from prison. And the whole basis of him being in prison and the basis for his revenge is the fact that Sam left out a piece of information about one of his victims being promiscuous.
So I think that also ties into Lori when we talked about her earlier and Nathan saying this was like ahead of its time with kind of the social commentary on that. And I think that's true. And also when I was watching it, I was like, "Okay, but like would that even really do anything? Like if you raped someone, wouldn't you still like go to jail?"
Even if in the law you're supposed to show like the whole picture. I didn't really I don't know. I didn't really quite understand that part. I was just like, "Okay." Uh >> oh.
>> Probably would have.
>> Maybe things are different in the Canadian justice system.
>> Why?
>> Because of rape culture. Uh it's what it comes down to. discrediting the victim is is how you try to get out of a rape charge. And unfortunately, culturally, promiscuity ends up being relevant to the jury. Um, >> you know, it shouldn't be, but it is a tactic that has worked plenty in the past, >> right? Um, also revictimizing the victim during the quest for justice in court. A defense lawyer cannot be hiding anything like that legally, right, >> or ethically. It's something that shouldn't work, but because it does work, a defense lawyer has a obligation to use it.
>> So, yeah, that's what it comes down to. it it shouldn't matter. But currently, I mean, even now, it still does. So, yeah. You know, >> it was just confusing to me because he's all about justice, but it's a slimy sense of justice cuz it doesn't >> it doesn't line up. Like, he's still a rapist at the end of the day. So, his whole like I guess I guess that makes more sense now like thinking about it like okay, the revenge is because he could have gotten out of wormed his way out of prison. Yeah, that was hard for me to kind of grasp watching the movie because I was just like this doesn't make sense. Like how could this even help you? But okay. Yeah, I guess I'm like naive.
>> No, I mean you're thinking correctly for sure.
>> Yeah. No, I mean you're right. It shouldn't be relevant and yet you know there's a movie made about it. You know the what were you wearing defense.
>> Um >> and this question kind of ties into that also. So then morally Sam does maybe the right thing, right? But >> yeah. So like why is he getting all this? That's what I was confused about.
I was like, "Okay, why is he getting like >> [ __ ] on when technically he did the right thing?"
>> Ethically, >> I don't know. This is a tough conversation, right? Cuz ethically like he didn't do the right thing. I mean, it's it's nuanced because the reality is is that in order to protect people from injustice in the in the criminal justice system, your defense lawyers have to do everything they possibly can, which unfortunately includes this horrific, sleazy thing. In order to for that not to happen, you have to change the culture to the point where that doesn't [ __ ] work, >> right? That should be something that you do if you want to lose a case because the jury should turn against you for it.
Uh but that's just not how it goes right now. Um >> I could never be a lawyer.
>> Yeah.
>> I could never offend someone.
>> Yeah. Lori puts it perfectly in that, you know, when she says, >> "I don't want to explain why I was in a bar and how much I had to drink and what I was wearing and not by the people I work with, by the guys I see cross-examining the people on the stand.
Just crucify them and just laugh about it later." don't want to have to tell them why I was in the bar or what I was wearing or >> I mean there's so many other themes to this movie but that one really stood out to me as being like we did this in 1991 like bravo scores >> but I think that ties in too to hypocrisy right Katie is trying to act like he's the justice here like he he's doing something that is I don't know like above or whatever ever, but he's not. And and I think that's a really good thing to keep him as a true villain, right? Because they could have reworked this story where he didn't rape her or like beat her or whatever, but no, like he is a bad guy and deserve to be in prison. And this makes it even more nuanced, right? Because >> yeah, this analysis doesn't come from me. I watched a YouTube video about it, but this was like a week ago. Uh, so I don't remember who it was anymore. Uh, but Katie is is reading Nichi in the library. I've never read any Nichi. So that's why I'm I'm saying this doesn't come from me. It couldn't because I didn't read any Nichi, but uh there's a concept of the Superman uh in Nichi's philosophical work. He's looking for his justice. And you can say it's sleazy, but it doesn't matter because it's his justice. He's the Superman. I could have that totally wrong. He is a gets to do what he wants and that he was punished for doing so is the injustice.
>> I spent 14 years in a finite cell surrounded by people who were less than human.
My mission in that time was to become more than human.
>> Feels entitled to do what he wants without being punished for it.
>> That makes sense. Yeah.
>> He's the righteous one. I mean, he's doing these horrible things, but he just thinks he gets to do those horrible things because he's a bad guy.
One of the things too I I am a big fan of are iconic images and in movies, and this movie has a ton of them, does it not? Even like something simple like um Katie on the wall where the fireworks are outside. Like I don't know why, but it's just it's like this should be nice and and bright and celebration and there's this horrible person.
>> You don't even realize how horrible he is yet at that point, but you do know that he's [ __ ] intimidating.
>> No, that's that's so true. I mean, let's talk about it, right? The the most uncomfortable scene in this movie >> is him coming on to the 15-year-old daughter of Sam. I'm here.
>> I want to meet you, see what you're like. I see you're a nice person.
>> Nathan, you touched on this earlier, but what makes this scene to me like, yeah, it's disgusting. It's uncomfortable, but what makes it even up the ante is we know what he did to Lori in that earlier scene. So now there's so much danger and tension in this scene. Like, I don't even think I really was breathing watching this scene play out. Yeah, >> he's pretending to be her drama teacher.
Is this summer school? I was so confused what was happening here, by the way, too.
>> This doesn't look like any summer school I've ever seen in my life. So, there's no drama class in summer school, but we'll just let that go. Uh, you know, it's terrifying partly because he's so charming. He's worldly and he's talking about all these books and she's really curious about these books. She read a couple of passages from Tropic of Cancer and he knows all those things and he's lying to her and you know he's lying but she's 15 and she doesn't know he's lying. Her performance is also part of what makes this really creepy because she does such a good job of playing a naive 15-year-old girl.
>> Yeah. And the whole thing feels weirdly real, like some 30year-old dude is out there somewhere having that conversation right now and then later saying she's mature for her age.
>> You know what I'm saying?
>> Yeah.
>> Like it just it it makes your skin crawl every part of it.
>> That kiss.
>> It's >> Yeah.
>> Nominated for best kiss by the MTV Movie Awards, by the way.
>> Like why?
>> I take it you knew this as well. Yeah, >> I read it on letter box. I didn't know it was real.
>> It's true. I looked it up after reading it on letter box.
>> Oh my god. Yeah, I saw that too on Wikipedia. It was like this thing had been this movie had been nominated for a million awards.
>> One of them was Vescus.
>> Gross.
>> Oh my god.
Like that's not what you want from the MTV Movie Awards. That is not an award show that takes movies seriously enough that you can think, well, maybe because it's so dramatic and creepy, that's what they mean. Like, no, that's not no.
>> It's horrific.
>> You know, I want to ask you, too, like, is this pushing the envelope too much?
Because I did read people's reviews uh that were like really legit put off by this scene uh for the movie completely.
>> I mean, it serves a purpose. It's like, yeah, it's it's disgusting.
It's wrong, but that's kind of the point of the scene is to show how far he's willing to go to seek revenge. He has no limits, obviously. And it also shows his character and like how charismatic he is, how he's able to like rope people into his sphere of influence and just like get them to do what he wants them to do in order to seek and exact that revenge. So, while it is super disturbing and like you said, I wasn't breathing either when I was watching it cuz I was also scared he was going to kill her or it would be more sexually explicit like rape or something like that. like I was terrified for her.
>> Um, but her character also is so interesting as well because she is naive and she is pulled in and drawn into his sphere of influence. But at the same time, I think she does realize it's wrong. It's dangerous. And we get to see that near the end when she does fight him and do what's right um >> to save her family. Uh but in that moment it is terrifying and it is disgusting and yeah awful. But I don't think it goes too far in the way that it shouldn't be there or it shouldn't have been made or anything like that because I think it's important to the movie.
>> I think it's one of the most important scenes to the movie.
>> Mhm.
>> You know, this is what we're dealing with. This is like what the movie is about. His plan for revenge is to rape his wife and and and child. That like Katie can't be this the villain that he is without that scene. I don't think I mean it's uncomfortable and horrific on purpose. Uh I get why people are put off by it, but you're not supposed to enjoy it.
>> Yeah.
you know, so like >> her performance I think is incredible during this scene because, you know, one of the underlying themes too is like sexuality, right? And she's at that age where she's starting to become a sexual person and it's confusing and all that stuff. And of course, he's there playing into that, right? He gives her a copy.
What was the book that he like left for her to? um >> uh Sexist, which is a book I've never heard of to be honest with you.
>> I haven't heard of it either, but I'm guessing the overall idea is it's like feeding on her sexual procities, right?
Like she's >> I think it's by the same guy who wrote Tropic of Cancer. Yeah, it's by Henry Miller.
>> Is it like an erotic novel? Do you like >> The only reason I know about Tropic of Cancer is because of Seinfeld. I was all set to return Tropic of Cancer. And then >> here's the book.
>> Oh man.
>> Don't let anybody see it. Don't let anything happen to it.
>> There's an episode where they do a flashback into high school where there's passing around the book Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. And um it's a serious piece of literature. It's not smut, but it is sexually explicit. Uh >> it was banned in the United States and Great Britain for nearly 20 years. is due to explicit sexual content and language.
>> That sounds about right. Uh like I said, I only know about Tropic of Cancer because of that episode of Seinfeld. And I but the joke makes it very clear that it's a very sexual book because when they were in high school, they were like, "Woo, we're passing it around, you know, in the locker room. Can't get caught with this one sort of deal."
>> He's trying to manipulate her, right?
>> Not trying. He's succeeding.
>> Succeeding, right? Until the end, right?
like she kind of break I mean he's powerful he's got his claws in her a little bit it seems like anyways cuz I think >> 100% she's smiling about it when when her dad asks her if he touched her >> did he touch you >> her brain she's like I got a secret he did >> biting her a lip and >> it's so bad >> yeah well it's the you know teenage victims who don't realize that they're victims uh you know uh sort of deal.
>> Like you were saying too, Nathan, this scene I think in a way is the starting gun for Sam at least because now he's like, "Holy [ __ ] you know, this guy is not only targeting me, my family, but he like legit wants to rape my kid and all this. Like I now I'm beyond."
>> Yeah. After that is the scene where he hires you and I to go beat him up. Well, we weren't successful.
>> No, we got the [ __ ] beaten out of us.
>> We struggled, but uh you know, >> a little bit.
>> Another iconic scene in this for me is they think they've pulled a ruse, right?
And they've set a trap for Katie. Sam pretends to be away and they have uh our buddy there, the um the private eye guy.
Yeah. He's uh he's helping him out.
They're going to I guess the idea is they're going to shoot Katie, right?
Yeah. I mean, Kerik has a gun for that purpose.
>> Yeah.
>> And he's drinking uh whiskey and Pepto.
>> What the hell?
>> It did not look appetizing either.
>> No. No. It looked like Pepto with a little bit of brown in it.
>> Does it counteract the heartburn that alcohol would give you?
>> I mean, I guess it probably would.
>> Maybe.
>> That's a good point.
>> Maybe he's on to something.
>> Didn't he say his father did that or something like that?
>> Yeah, he did. Let me tell you, when I was drinking, uh, Pepto was my friend the next morning. So, >> yeah.
>> So, it does >> do something at least >> all in one, >> but not not mixed together. I don't know. I don't know if that helps or not.
>> Holy [ __ ] How many cigarettes were they smoking in this movie?
>> Sam picks up the the habit halfway through the movie.
He doesn't smoke until halfway through the movie. His wife smokes, >> especially in these like stakeout scenes, too. He's just like constantly to the iconic scene. And the biggest like holy [ __ ] moment for me was when our good buddy sits down with his drink and he's talking to the uh to the house.
Was she like a housekeeper? The maid.
And then all of a sudden, man, it's Katie dressed up as the maid.
>> I like screamed. I couldn't. name.
>> That was amazing.
>> Terrifying.
>> Yeah.
>> I was thinking uh what Nathan said with the music, right, with the score and very Hitchcock. This is Hitchcock. No, I mean >> Oh, yeah.
>> The psycho. Uh >> I legit was like, "No way." I thought about it for a minute, right? I'm like, "I don't know why he's acknowledging the maid. I don't know. He's a nice guy."
And then next thing I know, the piano wire. Brutal way to go. brutally.
>> Were you expecting that? I mean, Jill, you said you scream. Did you think about like Katie is gonna do something here?
>> Well, they're building really good tension here at this point. Like, you know, he has to be somewhere nearby cuz like the strings and the teddy bear are moving and like just waiting for the other shoe to drop, right? And they do put like an unusual emphasis on the maid, like the the back of her, right? The back of her head. So, it's like something is off here. But what could it be? But I did not expect it to be that. I did not expect her to be him dressed up. And and then the piano wire, it paid off. It was bloody.
It was It was like chef's kiss. It was like the best scene ever. I I was so pleased.
>> It was really, really good. Yeah, >> it it caught me totally by surprise because I was like, "No, that's definitely the maid." You know, it never even crossed my mind to think that it could be anyone other than the maid.
>> Uh I But I knew Katie was around and there was going to be a surprise. It was coming. I was feeling it, >> but that was not how I was expecting it to go down at all. It was great.
>> It's even horrible, too, cuz he slips in the blood. Sam slips in a lot.
>> That was a combination of horrifying and also kind of hilarious.
>> Physical comedy >> and they just leave them there and they go on >> like at the same time. I was like, why are you grabbing the [ __ ] wire, man?
Like, oh crap, the wire. You're a goddamn lawyer. This is >> the worst the worst lawyer.
>> And then he's shooting randomly into his yard and it's like what, >> dude? at that point to accomplish.
>> Well, I think at that point he was just like delirious with rage and like scared, you know, like how could this happen sort of deal. It's a perfect setup because the scene before is them in bed and he wakes up >> and he sees Katie standing there right in the door and he's rubbing his eyes and it's like that X-ray type of film.
>> Another wonderful little artistic shot that just that kind of thing just I love it. Yeah. Every time something like that happens.
>> Me, too. Yeah. Cuz it's like you're like, "Is it him?" It's him. Cuz he rubs his eyes and he's still there. And then again, like, "Oh, no. I guess not." It works really well for that scene where he is the maid because you're like, "Nah, he's it can't be like we already saw he's not there." So, so it kind of drops your uh your elevated, I guess, psychosis of what's going on.
>> But did he actually see him? I kind of feel like he actually saw him and then he open reopened his eyes and he had just left to go kill the maid and in Kursik >> maybe >> because like if he's in the house what's stopping him from just like taking a detour to the bedroom and being like that's a couple in the bed right there you know >> you're right it's cool too I think and eerie that we never find out how he gets in the house right >> no we never do >> that's scary I want to get to to the ending of this movie Because I'll be honest, one of the the only things I was a little bit eh on uh my first watch was the ending and the pacing wise cuz it felt like it was getting to be a longer movie at this point when they go on the boat.
>> I'm with you on that. Yeah.
>> But in saying it, the boat [ __ ] is horrific and really good.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. That's the horror element I think at that point.
>> Yeah. Cuz did this feel longer for you though, Jill? Were you like feeling or you were like, "Okay."
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. But it kind of you kind of go into that like psychosis with the family at that point because they're trying to escape. And another one of the scenes that had me like in disbelief was the fact that he was like latched on to the bottom of the car for so long.
>> Oh my god. That was >> he was training for this.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. And uh I thought that was awesome.
them and I was like, "Okay, they're just never going to get away from this guy because he's too smart. He's too strong.
Uh he's invincible basically, so just give up." But yeah, at that point it did like it did feel the length a little bit. But it was worth it because it starts to get crazy. It's like a fever dream and that's when it's very much the horror element of it from like the piano wire to the end. Uh it's psychosis and uh I was so there for it.
>> Yeah. I mean, all the stuff on the boat is like super tense.
>> Were you a good girl?
>> I was. I need you follow me here.
>> You know me pretty well, don't you, Donald?
>> Like you said, like it's crazy being on the boat in the storm, I think, makes this ending, right? It's the perfect storm.
>> Yeah, for sure. Not a great movie, by the way. The perfect storm. But go on.
>> It's not bad either, but you know.
>> Did you like the boat stuff?
>> Yeah, I liked it. I will say that the false ending is kind of where I started being like we this movie's been kind of long at this point. Like, you know, it was terrifying that like, you know, you can mistake any of um Katie's movements and sounds for just the rain and they're out in the middle of nowhere. They had to be lost, right? Like >> Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like he cut the the >> He cut the line. Yeah.
>> And they're just going every which way.
It looked like it was a labyrinth of like little saltwater rivers. It looked almost like the Everglades to me, but it's not because those are in Florida.
So, um, and this is North Carolina, right?
>> Yeah, I think so. Or South Carolina. I'm not sure.
>> Yeah, >> one of the Carolinas.
>> This is one of the Carolinas. There's two of them. So, 5050 shot.
>> Got to be one.
But yeah, it's just a terrifying place for that kind of confrontation to go down. We're entirely aware again of what Katie is capable of and what his plan is. So, every scene where he's alone with either Lee or Danny is just gets your heart racing like, "No, please, we can't let this happen." He gets pretty far into his plan when it with Lee too. And that's just like another >> just gross uncomfortable scene.
>> Yeah, >> that scene reminded me a bit of the hills have eyes, you know, when there's like that rape scene in the RV. I always think of that as like one of the most uncomfortable kind of scenes in horror.
And this was like I don't this felt almost worse. I have not seen either of those, but I am aware of that scene because the scene's uh reputation precedes it. So, >> there you go.
>> Um, yeah.
>> I mean, the idea, right, is he's going to rape her and Danny and >> probably kill them both all in front of Sam, by the way.
>> Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too, which is like horrific. And it makes this ending so much like the the stakes are are are at an all-time high, right?
And on top of that, you add the storm and the boat and everything's all over the place. And I thought it was cool because there was a um a little foreshadowing earlier where uh Lee talks about Danny and and she says uh she would uh with a palmetto bug she she couldn't hurt a fly.
>> She finds a palmetto bug in her bedroom.
She takes it outside. You know, she could never kill anything.
>> You have a 6ft palmetto bug.
>> Basically, like she would bring it in, she can't kill it. And then you here you have her being badass, right? Setting them on fire. Holy [ __ ] >> Sick.
>> It was awesome. Even though the fire effect in the first shot is a little little rough. And then they go ch change to a stunt double. And I believe that's an actual firewalk when after they cut.
But uh and I thought it was um thematically appropriate for Danny to be the one to kill him.
>> Yeah.
>> Which is why the false ending of it was kind of a little almost disappointing to me to be honest with you because now we're going back to to Sam doing the job. And I just felt like it made more sense for for Danny to be the one save the whole family and uh take care of this threat that is the biggest threat to her out of all out of the rest of the family.
>> Did you feel that way, Jill, when um I guess it was a dream, right? Sam had that vision of him with that big boulder crushing Katie, but he didn't do it right. At the end of the day, he watches Katie drown.
>> Yeah. I wasn't really sure what was going on there. Be again. And I was like in this like surreal fever dream. I was like, is this like actually happening or what is actually happening?
>> Um, that's where the movie kind of lost me a little bit is the ending as well.
Uh, I think it would have been cool if Danny was the one, like you said, Nathan, to kind of end it. I think maybe what they're trying to say here is that this is, you know, the fight between the two of them. It always has been between Sam and Katie, but damn, like Sam is so incompetent like at everything. Like he cannot save his family at all and it it just like keeps getting worse. One thing about that scene though that I do want to say like you did talk about like biblical themes and images earlier, him talking about like entering the ninth circle of hell. I'M VIRGIL COUNSELOR AND I'M GUIDING YOU GATES OF HELL HILL. WE ARE NOW IN THE MY CIRCLE the circle of traitors.
>> And the way that he his appearance Katie's appearance becomes more and more demonic uh the more this goes on with like the fire and his like blistered like burnt skin and he >> it's like a monster movie by the end of it.
>> It is. And he just gets like angrier.
Yeah. I I love that part paired with how crazy it gets. Um, it's just like pure madness at the end and I do love that.
But yeah, the ending I was just kind of like, huh, I don't really know what happened anymore and I don't know where this is going and I don't believe that it's over. But >> everything else was fantastic.
>> I kind of thought what happened at the end there was that he brought the rock down and the river took Katie out into the river just as he was about to bring it down on the ground. I didn't think that was a vision. I thought it was a vision of him like this is what I want to do, but at the end of the day, again, back to my like theme of like we all make mistakes or whatever, but he's trying to be a morally okay person, right? And he even questions earlier in the movie if he would be able to kill somebody.
>> Damn, it's premeditated. It's it's uh it makes me an accomplishment.
>> He's not sure of it. And I think like that's what he really comes down to at the end. would he kill Max Katie? And he sees that play out. But at the same time, and it kind of comes to the hypocrisy here angle, back to the big theme, he sees Katie, right? And he's still alive. And this is a great image, too, of his uh eyes just showing above the water. He could theoretically go and save Katie, but he decides to let him drown.
>> Maybe. Where are the keys to those cuffs?
>> Yeah. I I mean the the boat's torn in half or more than half. It's pieces upon pieces. So >> yeah, there is a suggestion that Sam feels guilt there too because there's the image of the blood on his hands. So >> yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> And it washes away.
>> I'm not entirely sure what all of that means to be honest with you.
>> I got you. Would you say maybe that because Danny was the one that handcuffed him, right?
>> Was she?
>> No, I think it's Sam Sam. There's a really funny like uh shot of his face after he does it where he's like, "Yeah, I did that."
>> Yeah.
One of the great scenes that I loved and I actually heard I don't know if it was Eert or Cisco or both of them talk about the scene they didn't like at the end which I really liked and they actually said that this was very David Lynchesque >> was the scene where Katie is talking directly into the camera and this is when he's like monster face right about the trial going back and forth with uh Sam on trial. lawyer.
>> Yeah, >> I'm sorry, your honor. I agree that was argumentative.
>> You know what? That is a monologue Frank Booth could give. I they're they're right about that. I disagree with them about not liking it very much so. Um, >> it's appropriate. I feel >> I liked this scene a lot because like you said, Jill, this is now the madness has taken over, right? Like Katie can't be calm, cool, charismatic. He's turned legitimately into a monster.
>> Yeah. The mask has slipped and this is true form.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. I love that. I think it's appropriate too that this movie ends in Cape Fear. The river.
>> Yeah. Cape Fear. The Cape the Peninsula.
>> Oh, I thought it's the river.
>> No, the Cape is a peninsula.
>> I thought the river is called Cape Fear.
>> No, the river is a river on Cape Fear.
>> Oh, well, >> yeah, >> it's still in Cape Fear. I I think I'm like 99% sure I know what Cape means. By the time we actually got to Cape Fear, I had forgotten that the movie was called Cape Fear. I was like, "Oh, yeah, that's right. This movie is called Cape Fear."
We're an hour and a half in and we finally get to Cape Fear.
>> I was wondering why the hell it was called Cape Fear for most of the movie.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. It's a little surprise for you.
the original changed the uh the name to Capefar because they didn't like the uh the title of the book, The Executioners.
So, yeah, >> Cape Fear is a better name.
>> It is.
>> Yeah. Originally, too, Steven Spiel Spielberg was supposed to direct this movie. This was like his project.
>> And no, um >> I love Spielberg, but no.
>> Listen to this. At the same time, he had bought the rights to Schindler's List.
He was not going to direct Schindler's List. He was like, "This is a project I want for somebody else. I'll be the producer. It's my thing." And he got Martin Scorsesei to agree to direct Schindler's List.
>> No, that's a note, too. The The switch was the perfect decision. Nobody but Spielberg could have directed Schindler's List the way that movie came out. And there's no way that Spielberg would have been this stylish and cool with this with Cape Fear. So >> yeah, for sure. And also Scorsesei, he like was uh directly responsible for changing the family dynamics a little bit too. He wanted there to be like, >> you know, more underlying themes of the family and and the tension. But it's just crazy to think about a world where like Steven Spielberg could have directed this and Scorsesei could have directed uh Schindler's List. Spielberg would never have taken this movie this far with some of those scenes and stuff.
You know, >> Spielberg is not nearly edgy enough to do this movie the way this movie was done.
>> Yeah.
>> Um >> Yeah, I agree with you.
>> I mean, don't get me wrong, he can do R-rated like he But he doesn't do sleas as far as I've seen. He you know, you need Scaresy for sleas. Originally too, Bill Murray was supposed to play the role of Sam.
>> That could have worked. I could see that.
>> Another cool thing I read was um they had picked Harrison Ford was going to be the Sam. Uh and Robert Dairo went to him directly with the script and and Harrison Ford was like, "Eh, I think I want to play the role of Max Katy."
>> Oh, no.
>> No.
>> And Dairo was like, "Uh-uh, that's me.
I don't think you want to put Harrison Ford in that role either. He can do sleeves, but it's a different kind of sleas than what we see in this movie.
You know, he's lovable. Han Solo uh sleeves.
>> I think he wanted to play a different role. That's why he really wanted that >> that Katie.
>> That makes sense. That makes sense.
>> Yeah. Is there anything else you want to talk about?
>> Robert Mitchum plays the police chief and he also plays Max Katy in the original movie. Yeah.
>> Cool.
>> Yeah.
>> Yep. The other actor there too uh is in it. What's his name? Look, uh Nathan >> Gregory Peek.
>> Gregory Peek. Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> He's in it, too. He plays the lieutenant, right?
>> He No, he plays the def uh the def uh Max's lawyer in >> Oh, okay. Okay.
>> And he plays Sam in the original one.
>> That's pretty cool.
>> Robert Mitch's also in one of my favorite movies ever. Uh The Night of the Hunter. Oh, >> I don't know why I had to turn around to read it after saying it's one of my favorite movies ever, but >> it's this one.
>> Yeah, that's a cool cameos. It's time for a quote or kill. We're going to give you our favorite quote in the movie or our favorite kill in the movie or both.
>> Just going to do a kill. Obviously, it's the piano wire kill.
>> I'm gonna double with you on that one.
>> Both of us.
>> I'm going to triple with you on that one.
>> There we go. We all have the same favorite kill. I mean, we we talked about it a bit, but uh it was just kind of shocking like the fact that you don't expect Gracieella for her to turn around and it's not a woman. It's Macini dressed up in her like robe and with the hair and everything. I don't know. It was like hilarious, but also terrifying.
And that I think really sums up Max Katie's character. He's hilarious. He's a little bit charming, but he's also faking scary because he has no boundaries. He's going to do whatever he needs to do to meet his own ends. So, yeah, I thought that was shocking, terrifying. Uh, and just like the piano wire payoff because uh like I said earlier when I saw Sam like playing the piano and he's like, "Oh, must be a wire missing or whatever." I was like, "Okay, someone's going to get brutally murdered. Their throat's going to get sliced. I'm here for it. Love a good throat slice. Uh it was bloody. It was gory. It was Looney Tunesesque with the slipping in the blood. Um that was just like a huge turning point in the movie for me. So that's my favorite. Nathan, uh do you want to say anything more about that or do you have a quote as well?
>> You've about covered most of what I would have to say about The Kill of Kursik. My favorite line is >> you'll learn about loss.
>> What?
>> We're going to learn about loss.
um >> when Katie says it to uh Sam near the beginning of the movie and you realize uh oh well >> he's planning on making this man learn about loss. I don't know what that means but I am scared now.
I thought that was great.
>> Perfect way to send off the movie.
Right.
>> Yeah. Exactly.
>> The death I haven't had like an oh [ __ ] audible moment like that since I watched Strange Darling. I was like, "Wo, I can't believe this." Yeah.
>> Yeah. I mean, it it's amazing because of that. My line is, >> "Every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise."
>> Every man has to go through hell to reach paradise. Thought that was just a uh I don't know. That sums up >> Yeah.
>> This for sure. It's time for our letter box rating. We're going to rate this movie from one to five stars. Five is Katie's death. One is the dog's death.
>> Leave the dog alone, Katie.
>> Yeah. Damn it. Uh, I'm going to rate this five stars. There is some things that I'm not a huge fan of. Like I said, the end the run time at the end was a little long for me. There are things here or there like I do wish like the ending was more impactful with him actually killing him with the rock.
I think that would have been a more satisfying ending. I mean, these are just little gripes. I I think the performances are amazing in this movie.
I think the way it's shot it, the stylized artistic, some of the scenes are really really beautifully shot and done. Uh the music is amazing for me. A great like horror thriller. It keeps that tension on you all the time and never lets up. And this does that tremendously. It's why Halloween is my favorite horror or my favorite movie of all time because it's like it never lets go of that tension and uses the music and uses other characters and I think this is a great example of why that's so powerful in a movie. Um, and it did have like holy [ __ ] moments for me and and that's pretty rare uh when I can audibly say, you know, wo out loud. So that's why I'm giving it five stars.
>> I'm not far behind you. I'm going to give this a four and a half stars. Just little nitpicky things really. I think it was just the ending for me. That wasn't my favorite because the movie was so intense, especially near the end and for it to just kind of let up like that and like everything kind of be okay, but it still felt a little loose. I was just I don't know. I think I just wanted more from it. Maybe I need more time to sit with it. Maybe I need to rewatch it and revisit this again. I I will say that I think I will be re-watching this uh sometime, probably soon. I was actually in like a like a used like physical media store yesterday in Pittsburgh and I saw a Blu-ray of Cape Fear for like $10. I should have freaking bought it because >> I had to rent this anyways. Yeah. Rumors of Criterion picking up, so maybe >> I'll hold off.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay.
>> Rumors might not be true, but that's what I see on the Reddit.
>> I trust you. This is one that I want to pick up because um it was delightful.
Like horrific, but delightful. I really enjoyed it.
>> Delightful.
>> Uh but yeah, apart from the ending, everything else was fantastic. So, four and a half stars from me.
>> I'm also going to go four and a half stars. This movie is great. Uh, it's it's a lot of fun, excluding the moments that are really not fun at all, but those moments are done so well. It feels important. It doesn't feel just needless. I loved uh Danny's monologuing at the beginning and at the end. The end one especially uh makes it clear that they're not, you know, the movie is not ignoring uh the trauma that this family has faced.
>> That to remember his name or what he did would mean letting him into our dreams and me, I hardly dream about him anymore.
>> You know, it's not a live happily ever after sort of moment. They're going to live. Uh which they might not have had they not gotten rid of Katie. And and I like that because a lot of times when you watch an action movie, everybody's like, "Yay!" at the end. And >> it's like, "But like your mom died and you know, like you have half a leg over here, you know, but and we're just pretending everything's great. Nobody's uh had a hard time." There's this movie ends with them huddled together and miserable and then a monologue about how he haunted her dreams for a long time. I agree with you, Kevin, that some of the pacing stuff near the end gets a little bit off. The false ending where I had originally thought Danny had killed Katie. After that, it was kind of like, okay, I was kind of hoping for this to to end now. that. So felt like you probably could have trimmed this by, you know, a good 15 minutes. That's kind of not what Scorsese does. He likes having movies be 2 and 1/2 hours long, 3 hours long. So four and a half stars. I like this movie a lot. It's not my favorite Scorsese, which mine is Good Fellas. I haven't seen Wolf of Wall Street, actually, believe it or not. It's so >> No. No. I've heard it's incredible.
>> We got to do it for the podcast. It's not horror, but it's so good.
>> Well, then you're going to make me pick Taxi Driver at some point then.
>> I got to watch that, too, apparently.
>> Yeah, I Taxi Driver definitely like is one of those that's dark and >> he's so good though. It's so good.
Dairo, he's just so good at what he does. When he wants to play a weird character, he does a really good job of it. And that makes our combined average score a 4.67.
So it's ranking fifth for us.
>> Are you doing like math over there? Like you're crunching numbers.
>> He's got a chart.
>> He's got a chart next to him. I guarantee you there's not that many options.
>> And if you want to see that chart and see where this ranks for us, go down the description. We're gonna have a link for you. You can take a look. But before we end the episode, we're going to let you know what we've been up to. I haven't really been watching a lot lately. I did receive Who Killed? Captain Alex, my copy finally. Uh, a few episodes ago, I had talked about Nathan had come to visit and we watched the movie Who Killed Captain Alex on Nathan's recommendation. And I believe Nathan, you showed off your copy of >> this on our show a long time ago.
>> I did. And uh so I was like, "Hey, this movie is amazing. I gotta have myself a copy." And the homemade card I got as well.
>> Commando Kevin, welcome to Uganda.
>> Mhm.
>> So now I'm uh a commando as well. Me and Nathan are commandos.
>> And uh Mama Mia, super action. The best of the best.
>> See mine instead of saying the best of the best says yes. Yes. Okay. which is how the movie starts. The first first line of the movie is VJME going, "Yes, yes." Okay.
>> So, you're the best. Yeah.
>> I'm the best.
>> You're the best of the best. So, >> you guys are just getting like custom note cards.
>> Yeah. Like um if you look the um the drawing is like it's a drawing of the same drawing, but it's definitely different. It's completely handmade.
>> That's cool. Uh, mine looks slightly different. It's a drawing of the same thing.
>> You want me to go get it? Compare it.
Yeah.
That is so funny.
>> And it's signed, too.
>> Like, where is this coming from?
>> Uganda.
>> Like, literally.
>> Yeah.
>> Wait, where's my copy of Who Killed Captain Alex?
>> What's he saying?
>> That's so pretty.
>> This is really like what I wanted. I killed Captain Alex apparently. It says, "Commando Kevin, you killed Captain Alex."
>> Is that a good thing? Bad thing?
>> Well, >> best of the best. Good thing.
>> You know, the movie a asks an unanswerable question. What happened, Nathan?
>> Okay. Slight issue. It's not on my shelf.
>> Uh-oh.
>> And I'm not sure where I put it.
>> Red Bow must have took it.
>> Red Bow took it. It should, if it's not on my shelf, it should be easily visible. I'm a little upset here.
>> It was taken from you by the commandos.
>> Does uh your disc say that you killed Captain Alex, Kevin?
>> It does. Yep. So, we both killed Captain Alex >> together.
>> We tag deemed them. That's not right.
>> I mean, it can mean whatever you want it to mean. Is that like a blank CD and they just like wrote on it with marker, I'm dead. That's fantastic. Yeah.
>> Okay.
>> You can watch this on YouTube, correct?
Yeah. Yeah. For free.
>> You got to watch it, Jill. I recommend it.
>> Do I?
>> Yes. Oh my god.
>> You don't like it though?
>> Yes. Yes. You will love these people.
You It is so charming and so funny. Like it's >> I better like it or I'm coming for you.
>> I believe you'll like it.
>> I'm going to put a link in the description, too. If you're interested, you can go purchase your own Who Killed Captain Alex. You can become a commando like me and Nathan. I I highly recommend it. It's just It's so fun. You watch the movie and you're just like I was like, I have to give these people money.
>> I love these people. I want them to have some of my money. Um >> it's not that expensive either. I think it was like $10 or something like that.
>> Plus shipping. Yeah. It ends up at like 15 bucks or something like that >> for all that customization.
>> Yeah.
>> It's worth it. You have your own customized piece of art here. Yeah, exactly.
>> Jill, some night you need to have a movie night with Who Killed Captain Alex and then a double feature of champagne and bullets.
>> Perfect.
>> That'll definitely happen.
>> You should watch Who Killed Captain.
Everyone should watch that movie. It's Yeah.
>> How long is it?
>> Go watch it.
>> It's only like an hour and a half.
>> Okay.
>> It's like an hour 20 even.
>> Jill, how about you? What have you been up to?
>> Not a lot really. Uh, in terms of watching things, the only thing I watched really was, uh, I've been watching the new episodes of season 3 of Euphoria, and it's getting better. I'm liking what I'm seeing at this point.
So, there's that. I did a rewatch of Dawn of the Dead and uh watched a couple clips of Dawn of the Dead while sitting at a bench in the mall where Dawn of the Dead was filmed because I went on a trip to Pittsburgh. I just got back today. I did a bunch of cool stuff. I went there for a concert. I went there for the Bring Me the Horizon Ascension program phase 2 uh tour and that was an amazing show. I love Bring Me the Horizon. I've been a fan for ever since I was a wee little last. So, they still got it.
They're good. Really cool production for the show. And uh Motionless and White is my favorite band of all time as we all know and they opened. So, yeah, that was a great show. I also went to, so that was in Pittsburgh. So, just outside of Pittsburgh is Evans City where George Romero uh filmed a lot of things. So, I went to go see some sites. I went to the Evans City Cemetery where Night of the Living Dead was filmed, uh, the original 68. So, >> uh, that that was really cool. I got to see the graveyard. Um, it looks the same.
>> The graves themselves, too, which the names on them.
>> Yeah, it's it's really funny. So, you drive in and it's literally like right there. Like, you don't have to go anywhere. It's You drive in, it's just right there. Um, >> that's probably cuz George A. Romero didn't have a permit to film it and he was just like, "We got to get this done quick. These grave, this grave and this grave."
I felt kind of weird cuz there was this lady um on the other side of the graveyard cleaning out a grave like weeding it and stuff and here I am like taking pictures >> by these random graves.
>> Hopefully she knows the history. I'm sure lots of people go to that graveyard um for pictures who are fans. Yeah, it was really surreal to see the same gravestones like the one where Johnny hits his head off of was like actually chipped in that corner. So, I don't know if he actually like got a concussion or died or >> or if other people are reenacting his death uh and yeah, just chipped away this gravestone. But that was really cool. I got really giddy. I was like the h it was like the best day of my life um going there. And then on the way to the cemetery, we made a wrong turn and ended up by the post office. That's in a in a shot from the original The crazies. Also a George Romero film. And then just down the road, also I saw the bridge that's in Night of the Living Dead. We drove to Monroeville and I saw a couple things there. I saw the original Creep Show house. It's just in this like unassuming neighborhood.
People live there and they were actually like sitting out on their porch. So, we just drove by very creepily.
not taking pictures in front of that one.
>> No, I felt like I didn't want to bother these people. But >> come to find out after that, I went to the mall and I went to the Living Dead Museum and the guy there said that those people are really cool. And actually whenever they have their every year they do an annual living dead weekend in Monroeville where a bunch of people come and they have all kinds of like events and um like actors from all the dead there and stuff. Um and those people actually like put out like a kind of guest book on their mailbox for people to come sign. So like they're fans as well. So, I could have probably just asked them to take a picture in front of their house, but didn't want to be that person. Um, >> and then just like literally like two minutes down the street from like that house is the airport from Dawn of the Dead. Um, >> so like everything is filmed in a very >> small vicinity. So, yeah, George Romero, very resourceful. And then of course, I didn't really talk about the mall, but I went to the Monroeville Mall. I know Nathan, you've you like been there before, but I don't think you realize.
>> Yeah, my grandparents um when they were alive lived in that area, and my aunts and uncle, like that's the mall. The couple of times I've been there, it's I've been there a bunch of times, uh mostly as a child.
>> Uh never even thought about it as being like the the Dawn of the Dead Mall. Uh, >> did you even know?
>> When I was a kid? No. No. Uh, when I went there a couple of years ago, I had known, but it still didn't cross my mind because we were just going to the mall, >> right?
>> You know what I'm saying? Like, we we were like, my dad and I were killing time and we're like, "Let's go to Guitar Center."
>> Yeah. What's cool is that the Guitar Center building um that building was like originally also in the movie. Um >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. So, >> oh, so I was in a in a building that was in the movie.
>> Exactly.
>> It was filled It was filled with guitars.
>> Yeah.
>> And I was looking at the synthesizers.
Um, >> that would have been sick. Yeah. The mall was really cool. It's hard to kind of picture it because a lot of the charm has been taken out of it with like >> I don't know, making everything modern these days. Everything is like white and sterile. It's just like has no character. And that mall in the movie had like plants and like fountains and just like color and it was fun to look at. And now it's you kind of have to like look at it and squint and be like, "Oh yeah, that's uh that's it."
>> Your IG pictures made it look very empty. Was it very empty?
>> It was. Yeah. It's actually It just got bought by a Walmart and I was talking to a lot of people. I was talking to I went to Vinegar Syndrome also in Pittsburgh and the guy there said that Walmart tried to buy them out like forever ago, years and years ago and they refused.
They were like one of the first like malls to refuse Walmart and now it seems kind of like revenge that they bought them and they're probably going to tear the place down. And that's that's kind of the state of it. It's very empty.
It's kind of the state of malls everywhere honestly. like all the malls around me are are pretty much in the same condition. It's just a sad time.
But yeah, very empty. Not a lot of stores open. And also they're like tearing down bricks and stuff, but you can buy them >> at the Living Dead Museum, which I went to, and we bought like a brick and a piece of marble. Um because no one knows how much longer that mall is going to be there, including the uh the guy at the Living Dead Museum was just like, "Yeah, we're just taking it day by day." And >> that's for him.
>> It's heartbreaking. But they do have a bust of George Romero in the mall, uh which is cool. The skating rink is like the food court. Um but the uh Living Dead Museum was very cool. lots of like cool horror movie memorabilia and information for Annihilating Dead, Dawn of the Dead, all George's movies.
And they had some extra stuff, too, like um they had the workshed and like doors and windows from Evil Dead 2, >> which I thought was kind of random.
My Bloody Valentine 3D, which we've covered, and apparently that was filmed in the Pittsburgh region, which I forgot. So maybe that's why that was there. A lot of cool stuff there. It was really cool to check out. But yeah, that's all I've been up to. What about yourself, Nathan?
>> Yeah. So, I really haven't been up to much. Been busy. Red Sox work. Uh, the Red Sox suck, so I should stop doing that. But um I did watch the return of Godzilla from 1984. I had been inspired by watching the Godzilla minus Zero trailer. I was like, "Ah, I need some more Godzilla." Uh it was fun. It was good. Godzilla blows [ __ ] up. I don't really remember much of anything about the characters or anything, but uh I had fun watching Godzilla be an [ __ ] >> Hell yeah, brother.
>> You know, >> classic.
>> I kind of like Godzilla best when he's an [ __ ] I like him all the time, but I like him best when he's like the bad guy showing up to to kill the city. I gave that three and a half stars. It was It was fun. I like uh watching Godzilla uh burn down cities. Um then I also watched a >> I uh watched a movie uh a French movie from 1953 called um The Wages of Fear.
So, I talked about sorcerer a long time ago about how it's uh about guys who are driving trucks full of dynamite that's leaking nitroglycerin and it's a really dangerous job that they have to do. Well, Sorcerer was a remake of The Wages of Fear. Uh >> oh.
>> Same basic plot. The characters were a little bit more complex, but sometimes in ways I didn't like much. like our main character is a complete and utter prick to his girlfriend which made me less inclined to root for him. But uh it was still a good movie. It still uh got the heart pounding a lot of tension uh much in the way that uh our our pick for today had. I gave it four stars. I really like it. I like Sorcerer better.
sorcerer is bigger and has the better special effects and that's not necessarily uh something that always makes me like a movie better, but in this case uh they're similar enough that I I just I don't know. I just like Sorcerer better.
Plus Roy Shider, you know, he's great.
And that's it. That's all I got.
>> Nice.
>> We're pretty sure all of us this this week >> and I couldn't find my c my copy of Who Killed Captain Alex. That's uh >> it's going to bug you.
>> I will find it tonight because I will not sleep without it knowing where it is. Um >> it's going to be nestled in with it.
>> Oh, I also I bought The Wages of Fear on Criterion in the last sale, but I didn't show it cuz I hadn't watched it yet cuz it's two and a half hours long. Um but I'm not going to get up to go get it.
>> It's fair.
>> I won't show. You can look at it online if you're interested. Um >> put a link in the description so people can look at it.
>> Yeah, exactly.
Well, thank you all for tuning in. And if you're interested in checking out our letter box accounts or Jill's Goodreads, we're going to have a link in the description. If you want to support the show, click the join button now and become a member. Also, hit the tip button. Is that correct, Nathan?
>> How they thank us.
>> Oh, >> it's the thanks button.
>> You got to pay to thank us.
>> Dang.
>> I don't know why that cracks me up. I don't understand it.
>> Who created this?
>> YouTube. Google. Google did it.
Oh man. Well, that does it for our review on Cape Fear. But we'll be back soon with another episode. And we're going to be reviewing Nathan's favorite Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
>> Yeah.
>> It's celebrating its 40th anniversary.
>> That chop top guy. He's something.
>> Nathan loves him.
Tune in for Spicy Nathan next time.
>> Maybe. I haven't seen this movie since high school cuz I hated it in high school. So, you know, opinions change.
>> You're right.
>> Yeah, >> you're right. But until then, back to the patterned room with you. Counselor.
Counselor.
Heat. Heat.
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