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‘Cape Fear’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

March 28, 2023 · Cape Fear (1991) · Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1:43:25

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 2:54Steven Spielberg — Steven Spielberg was originally supposed to direct Cape Fear before it was traded to Scorsese for Schindler's List - describes this as one of the great movie trades of all time that worked out for both directors
Chris Ryan▶ 3:51John Williams — Imagines a John Williams score for the Spielberg version would have been incongruous - mimics the Jurassic Park theme playing over Max Cady doing sit-ups in jail
Sean Fennessey▶ 3:47Martin Scorsese — Cannot imagine the Steven Spielberg version and is thankful Martin Scorsese directed it instead - calls Scorsese 'our favorite sick fuck' who knows how to show what's demonic about souls

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 43:52Max Cady fending off three hitmen - the bike chain fight scene
Chris Ryan▶ 45:47The whole night where they're waiting for Cady to show up with the teddy bear, and he shows up dressed as the maid and kills Joe Don Baker
Sean Fennessey▶ 46:09The scene between Joe Don Baker when he gets made by Cady, then they meet outside the diner and have their one-on-one confrontation

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 49:30The Simpsons parody episode 'Cape Feare' which is considered one of the five or six best Simpsons episodes; anytime the bad guy kills the family dog in a movie; Max's tattoo reveals in jail being some of the best tattoo work ever seen in a movie; widescreen TVs making the movie look incredible after being hard to watch on cable
Chris Ryan▶ 50:44At 45 years old, seeing a dog in a movie and knowing the clock is ticking; Martin Scorsese shooting athletic activities, specifically praising the racquetball scene; De Niro's line about moving to California to teach earthquake preparedness
Sean Fennessey▶ 49:52The 'Bake them away, toys' joke from The Simpsons Cape Fear parody episode; taking Juliette Lewis over other famous people who wouldn't have been right for the role

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Chris Ryan▶ 57:16Joe Don Baker pouring Pepto-Bismol into a mug of bourbon/Jim Beam

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:52the houseboat
Chris Ryan▶ 58:35the upside down phone call
Sean Fennessey▶ 58:12when he leaves prison, walking into the camera

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:07Her character not testifying (despite the explanation that they need her not to testify because otherwise Katie goes to jail)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:00:53Defends the character's reasoning as heartbreaking and consistent with how the antagonist operates right on the line of legality
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:00:34Defends the not testifying plot point as realistic for 1991 due to the culture of fear around coming forward with sexual assault

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:51No

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:55Every man carries a circle of hell around their head like a halo / If you hang on to the past, you die a little every day

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:02De Niro is indisputably the greatest maniac actor we've ever had - citing nine movies where he's a malevolent force including Travis Bickle, Max Cady, Jimmy Conway
Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:20Max Cady did what Dr. Hackett could not and brought Lee and Sam back together - he was a great marriage counselor with unorthodox methods
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:05:38Sam and Lee definitely needed to break up and Sam would have been way happier with Lori (the racquetball lady) - sticking together isn't always the answer

Apex Mountain

Chris Ryan▶ 1:07:53Al Pacino — Pacino has it over Lewis Seifert for playing Satan
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:50Al Pacino — Al Pacino's Satan performance is Apex Mountain for playing evil

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:54False internet research that Sarah Jessica Parker was cast and replaced by Juliette Lewis - it's false because Scorsese said she was the first person they cast. They auditioned 500 actresses including Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore, and Reese Witherspoon who were both 15 during filming. Diane Keaton was going to play the wife role.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:09:30Drew Barrymore said not getting the role was one of her greatest disappointments and that she blew the audition. Glad it wasn't Drew Barrymore because she has such a different energy.

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:10:42Jessica Lange — Jessica Lange for her screaming performance, particularly the 'Why did you bother?' scene and blaming scenes
Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:06Jessica Lange — Jessica Lange for the extended smoking and face-touching sequences and overall manic behavior
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:11:04Jessica Lange — Agrees Jessica Lange's performance is excessive 'even for a movie like this'

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:50Hospital Job

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:25:32J.T. Walsh — Suggests J.T. Walsh could play the Joe Don Baker part, says De Niro is probably the answer to all questions about who gets utility player roles
Chris Ryan▶ 1:24:45Wayne Jenkins as Jessica Lange's boss at the graphic design firm
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:25:19J.T. Walsh — J.T. Walsh should be in this movie, doesn't know what part but says 'this is a J.T. Walsh movie'

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:12Yes, this is one of the top five greatest De Niro death scenes, alongside Heat, Taxi Driver, Joker, Jackie Brown, and Cape Fear
Chris Ryan▶ 1:28:57Kursick has too much time because it's summer in North Carolina and the Tar Heels aren't playing basketball
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:30:55If given 14 years in prison, he would learn to code

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:33:47Don't bury evidence when representing someone; explores whether bad people deserve fair representation
Chris Ryan▶ 1:33:51Leave town - get out on something no one can feasibly hang on you
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:33:58I am as large as God, God is as small as I - just read your scripture

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:34:36Robert De Niro — De Niro
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:34:37Robert De Niro — De Niro - agrees that Max Cady is such an iconic figure, though usually picks the director

Movies Referenced (68)

Goodfellas (1990)

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 6:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wick (2014)

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:36:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 14:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Walking Tall (2004)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 46:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Angel Heart (1987)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Miami Vice (2006)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 1:15:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Taxi Driver (1976)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 38:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Casino (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 14:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Creed (2015)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:36:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frankenstein (2025)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 14:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joker (2019)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mad Dog and Glory (1993)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 14:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (11)

Martin Scorsese

36 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 2:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Spielberg

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 2:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Baker

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Blade Runner, RoboCop▶ 45:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian De Palma

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Body Double, Dressed to Kill, The Bonfire of the Vanities▶ 56:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Miller

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 21:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ingmar Bergman

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Seventh Seal▶ 37:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Ivory

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Call Me by Your Name, The Remains of the Day▶ 21:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonathan Demme

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married▶ 5:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Bay

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Armageddon▶ 13:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sidney Lumet

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for 12 Angry Men▶ 21:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Friedkin

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for To Live and Die in L.A., The French Connection, The Exorcist▶ 21:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (82)

Robert De Niro

46 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nick Nolte

27 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Warrior▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joe Don Baker

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for GoldenEye, Cape Fear▶ 1:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jessica Lange

16 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Tootsie, The Postman Always Rings Twice▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Juliette Lewis

13 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Cape Fear, Natural Born Killers▶ 18:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Murray

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Lost in Translation, Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom▶ 32:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Migs Govea

9 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Ocean's Eight, Motherless Brooklyn▶ 30:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Reese Witherspoon

9 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Wild, Walk the Line, Legally Blonde▶ 48:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Mitchum

9 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Out of the Past, The Longest Day▶ 18:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gregory Peck

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for To Kill a Mockingbird, Roman Holiday▶ 18:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert E. Lee

8 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Trading Places▶ 41:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anthony Hopkins

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Silence of the Lambs▶ 5:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (10)

Charles Manson

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood▶ 16:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Damien Chazelle

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Whiplash, La La Land, First Man▶ 37:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Bart

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Revenge of the Nerds, Fun with Dick and Jane▶ 8:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 2:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Milton

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nancy Meyers

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for It's Complicated, Something's Gotta Give, Private Benjamin▶ 21:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nora Ephron

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Julie & Julia, When Harry Met Sally...▶ 21:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ryan Coogler

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Black Panther, Creed▶ 1:37:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Thomas Harris

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Rising, Manhunter▶ 5:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wesley Strick

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Cape Fear▶ 1:20:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Freddie Francis

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Elephant Man, The Straight Story▶ 7:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗