Cape Fear
Cape Fear mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When De Niro first meets Nolte's lady-friend, they are having a conversation in a bar or restaurant. As the camera goes from De Niro to the woman, the woman's top blouse button is open in one shot, then closed, then open, etc.

Continuity mistake: When Nick Nolte confronts his daughter in her bedroom about meeting with Robert De Niro, as the camera angle switches from Nolte's face to his daughter's face, his hand over her mouth changes positions.

Cape Fear mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Sam is talking to the P.I about "Taking care of Max," he gets into his car and the window is up. A few seconds later, the window is down. There wasn't enough time for him to roll it down. (00:54:50)

Continuity mistake: When the Bowdens are eating dinner on their boat at Cape Fear, the wine glass that Lee is holding changes position and her grip on the glass changes throughout shots.

Continuity mistake: When Sam Bowden is talking to Max Cady at the restaurant, Max is secretly taping the conversation. When it is played back in the courtroom after Max's beating, how the conversation is delivered and some of the words differ from what was said before.

Continuity mistake: When Max Cady calls Dani on the phone imitating her Drama teacher, Dani takes out her retainer and places it on the bedside table. After that, her retainer keeps jumping from the bedside table to back in her mouth for the next several minutes until she finally puts it back in when she hangs the phone up.

Continuity mistake: When Max is sinking at the end, there is the pole he's handcuffed to behind him which disappears between shots.

Cybermoose

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Lieutenant Elgart: Well, pardon me all over the place.

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Question: The whole basis of the film is that Max is suddenly aware of hidden evidence that impacted his sentencing. However, his lawyer claims he wouldn't have known and hurried the case to keep it hidden. The question remains: how did Max find out about the evidence while in prison?

Answer: As I remember it, Sam Bowden, Max's lawyer, knew his client was a rapist. He did not want Max to go free, so he buried the evidence that could have exonerated him. At that time, Max was illiterate, and Bowden assumed he'd never know about the hidden information. While in prison, Max, who was actually highly intelligent, learned how to read and also studied law. He later mounted his own unsuccessful appeals, which presumably gave him access to all previous evidence.

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