Release year: 1962

The players: Director: J. Lee Thompson, Writers: John D. McDonald, James R. Webb, Cast: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin

The plot: After being released from prison, an ex-con terrorizes the family of the attorney who helped put him behind bars.

Modern thoughts on a classic movie: The original version of “Cape Fear” is a basic tale of good versus evil, pitting Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum against one another in a battle of brains and nerves.

Peck plays attorney Sam Bowden, whose testimony sends Mitchum’s Max Cady to prison for eight years. In those eight years, Cady loses his family, and upon his release, he is determined to make Bowden suffer the same way. What ensues is a gripping story that shows how far one man will go for his revenge and what the other man will do to protect his loved ones from a madman.

To make such a story a success, two strong leading men are a must. Peck and Mitchum both deliver brilliant performances as opposing forces. In one corner is Peck, playing Sam Bowden as an upstanding citizen who becomes wrought with fear and hatred when his family comes under attack. Pecks’s conviction leads you to hope and pray that Bowden will be the victor and outsmart Cady at every turn, though this doesn’t always happen.

In the other corner is Mitchum, playing Max Cady with such intense malice his cold stare will spread fear throughout your body in the blink of an eye. His portrayal of the ex-con is cold, quiet and calculated. Cady works as a terrifying villain because Mithchum makes him a patient, intelligent man who will wait as long as necessary before exacting his revenge. He gladly draws his victims out and taunts them until they break. Is there anything scarier?

The film’s not quite perfect. Unfortunately, the supporting characters of Bowden’s wife and daughter are played by actresses who are not as true to their parts as their leading gents. Polly Bergen and Lori Martin overemphasize the “classical” style of acting and pull the viewer out of the intensity with their melodramatic performances. Luckily, they quickly fade into the background when Peck and Mitchum appear.

The final word: When Mr. Peck and Mr. Mitchum go head to head, the result is an intense and intriguing film worthy of viewing by any generation.