Cape Fear

Name: Cape Fear
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1991-11-13
Duration: 2 h 8 min
Rating: 7.3
Cast: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker

1991·Movie·R·128 min·★ 7.3(3,926)

Drama Crime Thriller More English titles

“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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Click a service to open Cape Fear there. Availability last verified on July 13, 2026.

Where is Cape Fear streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Fawesome	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	—	Amazon Video
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video
Canada	Crave, Crave Amazon Channel	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Australia	Paramount Plus, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Foxtel Now, Paramount Plus Premium	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Germany	HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
France	Arte	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Canal VOD
Spain	—	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Google Play Movies
Brazil	—	Claro video, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Japan	Amazon Prime Video, U-NEXT, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies

About Cape Fear

Cape Fear is a 1991 English-language drama, crime and thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese. The cast is led by Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange. It has a runtime of 2h 8m. Viewers rate it 7.3/10 across 3900 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Fawesome.

Cape Fear was produced by Amblin Entertainment, Cappa Productions, and Tribeca Productions and made in United States of America. It was released on November 13, 1991, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $35 million, it went on to gross $182 million worldwide.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Wesley Strick
Release date: November 13, 1991
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $35 million
Box office: $182 million
Production: Amblin Entertainment, Cappa Productions, Tribeca Productions

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Cape Fear cast & crew

Cape Fear was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Wesley Strick.

The cast features Robert De Niro as Max Cady, Nick Nolte as Sam Bowden, Jessica Lange as Leigh Bowden, Juliette Lewis as Danielle Bowden, Joe Don Baker as Claude Kersek, and Robert Mitchum as Lieutenant Elgart.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Bernard Herrmann, cinematography is by Freddie Francis, and it was produced by Barbara De Fina and Kathleen Kennedy.

Is Cape Fear worth watching?

Cape Fear holds an audience score of 7.3/10 from 3,926 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed drama films.

At 2h 8m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama, crime, and thriller, Cape Fear is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Cape Fear

In United States, you can stream Cape Fear on Fawesome, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.