Cape Fear : Max Cady

Max Cady

Would anyone agree with me that Cady is perhaps one of the smartest villains in movie history? He knew how to play the system to suit his own needs and even in the end, the authorities couldn't do anything to him.

Re: Max Cady

No, I think what would have been smart was for him to go on with his life because he ended up losing very big.

Re: Max Cady

I wouldn't say that. By the ending of the movie, Cady had become so much of an antagonist and had done so many bad things that it would have went against movie logic if he survived, and I think the way in which he died allowed him to torment the Bowdens forever as they would never forget him or what he did, as Danielle says in the closing narration

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Re: Max Cady

I wouldn't exactly consider him intelligent, considering he was illeterate at what I will assume to be an advanced age. However he is cold and calculating and knows how to manipulate and get his way.

For example he was able to correctly figure out that Sam would go to desperate means to be ridded of him and thus recorded the threat "if you don't leave my family alone you'll be hurtin' like you never dreamed.

However the only reason he wasn't captured was he played on the emotions of people. He lacked common sense. Giving the dog collar to Leigh would have linked him with poisoning the dog (fingerprints DNA etc.) This would have been enough to at least detain him. He would have posted bond and likely continue to pursue Sam but even with bail posted he would have been heavily under the microscope. It also points to Leigh's lack of sense as she/Sam did not take the dog collar to Mitchum's character in this version or another law enforcement official. Mitchum's character implied to Sam he needed more direct evidence for an arrest and Cady literally gave them the evidence and they did nothing.
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