"Cape Fear"(1991) Dualism

Personal History and Internal/External Traits:

Sam Bowden is a professional lawyer, an exemplary family man and just a good man. Max Cady is a rapist, heavy smoker and mentally unbalanced man.

After receiving a prison sentence for raping a young girl, Cady spent a lot of time in the prison library, absorbing information, and hatching plans for revenge. A sophisticated and distorted criminal mind could not afford a banal vendetta.

Before court verdict, Max Cady relied of his lawyer, Sam Bowden, who, at all costs, must defend his client’s interests. But, instead, Max received a real stab in the back. Lawyer hid the necessary facts at the trial, thereby condemning Max to imprisonment for a very long term.

Cady came to the conclusion, that revenge would be directed not only against Sam personally, but also against his whole family - his wife and young daughter. And, finally, the day comes when Cady is free from imprisonment.

Figure 1. Max Cady(2012)

An ordinary American Bowden family is pulled out of their usual peaceful life, turns out to be in real hell on the Earth, where Max Cady runs the show. However, Sam is also to blame, because he is a reason of Max’s revenge. During the trial our lawyer hid a number of details about Cady’s victim and when they met again Bowden wanted to buy Cady off with money.

Figure 2. Bowden family(2012)

Personal World View/Inherited World:

All his life, Sam Bowden relies on the stable system of justice, but when it comes to his family, his life, lawyer realizes that, now, he has nothing to rely on. Now, Sam’s justice is an instrument in his enemy’s hands. His enemy – Max Cady, believes that he is the hand of God, which carries out the Last Judgment. He has a messiah complex. A self - proclaimed judge, who thinks he is a demiurge of all religions and political utopias.

Wants and Needs (and Flaws):

Portraits and furniture in Max Cady prison cell, all these tattoos on his body and his "philosophical" speech, testify that our criminal has a mania, in which good intentions have turned into a painful desire for self-affirmation, a thirst to become a cruel ruler, who will suppress others because of his own failures and inadequacy.

Cady craves not so much revenge as limitless power over people. His dream makes him a pitiful hostage to his own desires and instincts, it turns him into a real monster.

Sam Bowden has a weak in spirit, he is not without sin, but he has certain morals, certain laws of honour. This story happened because of it. Choosing between truth and justice, Sam chose justice, and because of that Cady was imprisoned for a long period of time. Sam’s marriage has a lot of past scars, unspoken words and lies, Sam and his wife always fight because of that.

Story Arc and The Conflict:

During the whole film, Sam Bowden tries to fight Cady counting on his one and only system of justice. However at the end, in order to protect his family, honour and himself, Sam becomes as aggressive and cruel as his enemy. Sam (a persona) integrates qualities of Max (a shadow) to defeat him.

Figure 2. Conflict between sides(2014)

Illustrations:
1.   Figure 1. Aarón(2012)[Film Still] http://personajesentranables.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/max-cady.html, accessed on 3 November 2017.
2. Figure 2. Renate Morder(2012)[Film Still] http://renatewelt.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/, accessed on 3 November 2017.
3. Figure 3.(2014)[Film Still] https://genreandadaptation.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/cape-fear-the-true-purpose-of-max-cady/, accessed on 3 November 2017.