How Apple TV’s Cape Fear Premiere Revives Martin Scorsese’s Classic Dread With a Terrifying, Scene-Chewing Performance From Javier Bardem

Spoilers below for Episodes 1 and 2 of Apple TV’s Cape Fear. New episodes stream every Friday. Apple TV’s Cape Fear is executive-produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg and it shows. The polished, colorful reworking of Scorsese’s 1991 blockbuster (which itself was a remake of J. Lee Thompson’s 1962 film; all based on John D. McDonald’s novel The Executioners) literally starts with a bang and quickly drags you into a pervasive sense of dread as thick as the Savannah night air. The first two episodes, out today on Apple TV, quickly put their own spin on a familiar premise: Convicted murderer Max Cady (this time portrayed in a scene-chewing turn by Javier Bardem) is released from prison, much to the surprise of his former lawyer (Amy Adams) and her family. In this version, Adams’s Anna Bowden is married to the former prosecutor of Cady’s case (Patrick Wilson), so the anxiety that comes with Cady’s release is a family affair. Episode 1 opens with Cady’s mistress committing suicide at his direction, opening the door to her taking the fall for his 17-year-old crime (he was accused of murdering his wife and unborn son). What follows Cady’s release is a languid, tension-filled pre