10 Things You Didn't Know About Cape Fear
8. Martin Scorsese And Steven Speilberg Traded Scripts
It's true that two great films were used as trading chips for a bit of fun between the directors, with the pair unhappy with their original choices and deciding to pull the old switcheroo between Cape Fear and surprisingly - Schindler's List. One of Spielberg's most personal, effecting, and harrowing films was almost completely different with another director at the helm, and the same can be said for Scorsese's violent remake movie.
Violence was exactly the reason that Spielberg was put off, admittedly, shying away from the vengeful killer in De Niro and turning towards a far more politically relevant narrative.
Scorsese on the other hand was worried about Schindler's List causing controversy after releases such as The Last Temptation of Christ and Goodfellas, deciding instead to go for the Cape Fear narrative detailing a rapist after a 15 year old girl. Makes sense.