Mitchum deserved an Oscar nomination!

I completely agree with your viewpoints regarding Robert Mitchum. To be honest, I am not overly familar with his body of work but, having watched the original Cape Fear only last night, I have to say that Mitchum is indeed one of the finest and most accomplished actors in film history.

Having watched the 1991 remake with Robert De Niro several times in recent years, I had thought I had seen the definitive portrayal of Max Cady. De Niro's performance as the unhinged sadist is excellent and he exudes just enough charismatic charm and brutal menace to make Cady one of the most recognisable and unforgettable villains of all time. However, I feel that Mitchum's interpretation is even greater.

The original Cape Fear is a fine movie with regards to the direction, casting and narrative but I really feel that Mitchum takes the film to a whole new level. He strikes the balance between unassuming drifter and brutal sadist perfectly and his sudden mood swings in the film add a great degree of suspense to the film. Every time he appeared on screen, I genuinely felt a sense of imminent danger and forboding and that is the mark of a wonderful screen actor. Mitchum just needs to walk down the street as Max Cady and I feel uneasy! He really elevated the film to a whole new level and I feel that his evil portrayal was really ahead of it's time.

Whilst I completely agree with your views regarding Mitchum, I think your a bit unfair towards Gregory Peck. With such an overpowering presence in Cady, it would have been very easy for Peck's character to have been overshadowed but Peck shows his usual quiet confidence and belief and his heroic portrayal of a decent man pushed to the limits in order to protect his family compliments Mitchum's ruthless sadist perfectly. The two characters have a wonderful chemistry on screen and the final struggle between the two makes for excellent viewing.

In retrospect, I too cannot understand why Mitchum was not at least nominated for a Best Actor award for Max Cady. He is one of the greatest screen villains of all time and it is clear to see that many actors have been influenced by him down the years. His performance is a true masterclass in villainy!!

Mitchum really became Max Cady..

He definately was overlooked.
Well played...
great movie...

Agreed. He should have had several over the years. No less an expert than Robert Osborne mentions the travesty often.

I'm no expert, but . . . .

Mitchum was overlooked for an Oscar nom for a few of his bad guy roles.

Its that man again!!

First of all, let me just say that I'm a fan of De Niro's portrayal of Cady in the remake (unpopular with fans of the original, I see), and I think his great over-the-top performance deserved that nomination. Anyway, '62 was an incredibly tough year for best actor; however, Mitchum was most definitely deserving of a nomination - possibly even win. Still, I gotta say his performance in "The Night of the Hunter" was even more overlooked by the good ol' academy... but of course, since Cape Fear was released years later, it's a shame they failed to recognize Mitchum's talent in '62.


Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!