Sam Bowden I want you to get the hell out of my property!
Played by Nick Nolte 
Cape Fear (1991) · 32 quotes
Cape Fear (1991) · 32 quotes
2nd most-quoted character in Cape Fear (1991): in 11 of its 32 quotes
Most scenes with: Max Cady (6), Danielle Bowden (2), Lieutenant Elgart (2)
If you don't leave... if you don't leave my family alone and if you don't get out of here, you're gonna be hurt like you never dreamed.
More lines from Sam Bowden
1 quote Sam Bowden Scenes with Sam Bowden
9 scenes
[smiling, after grabbing the keys from the car]
Free as a bird. You go wherever you want with whomever.
Sam Bowden I'd like my keys back please.
Could it be you don't remember me?
Sam Bowden I remember you. You were at the movies the other night.
I'm disappointed. I'm hurt.
Sam Bowden I would like my keys.
Max Cady. You look the same. Maybe 15 pounds heavier. But they say the average man gains a pound a year till he's about... Come on. Gains a pound a year till he's about 60. Me? I dropped a pound every year in my sentence.
Sam Bowden Atlanta. July 1977?
You got it. [looks at keys] Fourteen years since I held a set of keys.
So what happened, your wife let the dog out and Cady abducted him and...
Sam Bowden No, my wife didn't let the dog out.
So he came into the house? Now that's illegal entry...
Sam Bowden No, he didn't come into the house either. Now look, I'm not a cop, I don't know how he did it, all I know is that he DID it.
Sam Bowden Because I knew he brutally beat and raped her!
Talk... TO ME! I'm Right HERE! [hits Sam in the face]
Sam Bowden Just because she was promiscuous... didn't give YOU THE RIGHT TO RAPE HER! But YOU BRAGGED about how you beat TWO prior rapes... you were a menace!
[Screams]
YOU WERE MY LAWYER... you were my lawyer! That report could've saved me FOURTEEN YEARS!
Sam Bowden [begrudgingly]
You're probably right.
[Disgusted]
YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS ****! I'm Virgil and I'm guidin' you through the gates of Hell. We are now in the Ninth Circle, the Circle of Traitors. Traitors to country! Traitors to fellow man! Traitors to GOD! You, sir, are charged with betrayin' the principles of all three! Quote for me the American Bar Association's Rules of Professional Conduct, Canon Seven.
Sam Bowden "A lawyer should represent his client... "
"Should ZEALOUSLY represent his client within the bounds of the law." I find you guilty, counselor! Guilty of betrayin' your fellow man! Guilty of betrayin' your country and abrogatin' your oath! Guilty of judgin' me and sellin' me out! With the power vested in me by the kingdom of God, I sentence you to the Ninth Circle of Hell! Now you will learn about loss! Loss of freedom! Loss of humanity! Now you and I will truly be the same...
[smiling, after grabbing the keys from the car]
Free as a bird, apparently. You go wherever you want with whomever. That much freedom could maybe get a fella into trouble, what do you think?
Sam Bowden I'd like my keys.
Could it be you don't remember me?
Sam Bowden Oh yeah, sure, I remember you. You were at the movie house the other night.
Oh, I'm disappointed. I'm hurt.
Sam Bowden I would like my keys.
Max Cady. You look the same. Maybe 15 pounds heavier. But they say the average man gains a pound a year till he's about--
Sam Bowden [Sam interrupts by knocking one of Cady's hands off the car, but fails to shake him]
Oh, come on...
[continuing]
Gains a pound a year till he's about 60. Me? I dropped a pound every year in my sentence.
Sam Bowden [remembering]
Atlanta, 1977.
You got it. July. [looks at keys] Fourteen years since I held a set of keys. [finally gives them back]
Sam Bowden [trying to diffuse the tension]
You look good, healthy.
Thank you, 'cause it's a struggle to stay healthy in the joint. But you wouldn't know 'bout that, would ya? If you were me, they'd stick you with the white trash. They don't strike a lick of work all day. In fact, [places his cigar in his mouth] this little ol' cigar is my only vice... 'cause I needed a vice in the joint, to remind me I was human.
Sam Bowden Well, what brings you to New Essex?
Oh, the climate. Boy, the South. I'm thinkin' of settlin' right down here in New Essex, Counselor.
Sam Bowden [apprehensively]
Have you been following me?
Sam Bowden [starting the car]
Take care, Mr. Cady.
You too.
Sam Bowden [stopping the car]
What?
[Cady leaves without another word]
Sam Bowden How much do you want, Mr. Cady?
How much do I want what?
Sam Bowden How much money do you want?
Money? Counselor, do I look destitute to you?
Sam Bowden Well, I'm open to discussion within reasonable limits.
You ever been a woman?
Sam Bowden What?
Sam Bowden [after a short silence, uncomfortably]
Look, I realize that you suffered in prison--
Sam Bowden There's no question about that--
"Suffered". You don't know what suffering is, Counselor. Like it says in Galatians 3, "Have ye suffered so many things in vain?" Yeah, I learned from the get-go in the joint to get in touch with the soft, nurturin' side of myself, the feminine side.
Well, at the very least, we nail him for the dog. Now what happened? You let the dog out, Cady abducted him?
Sam Bowden No, no, uh... we didn't let the dog out.
Cady came into your house? Now that's illegal entry with intent--
Sam Bowden Yeah, but he, uh, he didn't come into the house. Now look, I'm not a cop, I don't know exactly how he did it, I just know that he did it, somehow.
That's not good enough, Mr. Bowden. Now you're a lawyer, you damn well know that.
Sam Bowden What isn't going to work?
Locking us in, hiding us from the world.
Sam Bowden Oh, don't be so dramatic, Danny.
Making me stay outta school...
Sam Bowden Well, you're going back to school tomorrow. And put some clothes on, you're not a little kid anymore.
Yeah, and why am I going back to school tomorrow? What are you gonna do?
Sam Bowden That's none of your concern, Danny.
Dad... he didn't force himself on me, you know. I know you'd like to think that he did. But I think he was... I think he was just trying to make a connection with me, y'know?
Sam Bowden [Alarmed, Sam marches into the room and joins her on the bed]
Now, Danny, I want you to listen to me, all right? [pointing in her face as she tries to look away] No. You understand? No. There will never be any connection between you and Max Cady. You understand that?
Sam Bowden [Danielle brushes her hair aside awkwardly]
Did he touch you?
Sam Bowden What are you laughing about? Why are you smiling? I'm asking you a question - did he touch you?
Sam Bowden [Danielle smiles, and Sam suddenly grabs her by the face in anger]
Danny, wipe that smile off your face! I'm asking you, did he touch you?! [shaking her] C'mon! [realizing that he has scared her] Oh, n-no, wait, Danny, I'm sorry.
No...!
Sam Bowden [trying to comfort her]
No, I'm sorry. Wait, honey, I'm sorry--
[holding Sam at gunpoint]
The people call Samuel J. Bowden! Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?!
Sam Bowden Cady, somebody's got to man the boat. We're heading into unprotected water!
Do you swear?!
I'll do it, Dad--
[pointing her the gun]
You sit, Danielle! Don't you make light of your civic duty, darling! You're the jury!
Sam Bowden All right, all right, okay! I swear to tell the truth. What do you wanna know?
Was a prior sexual history ever prepared in connection with my defence? Was a prior sexual history ever prepared in connection with my defence?!
Sam Bowden It's... [Cady hits him in the face and Danielle is screaming]
[looking in the camera behind him]
I'm sorry, Your Honor. I agree. That was argumentative. [addressing again to Sam] An investigator did prepare a prior sexual history on the alleged victim, true? [looking again behind him] I can ask leading questions, Your Honor, he is a hostile witness! [to Sam] And would you care to tell the court what the gist was of this report?
Sam Bowden Cady, it was fourteen years ago. I can't remember that-- [Cady hits him again]
Leigh Bowden
[screams]
How can he answer when you're hitting him like that?!
[to the camera behind him]
Because he's perjurin' himself, Your Honor! He knows damn well exactly what it said! [turns to Sam] Don't you?!
Sam Bowden It said that she was promiscuous. It said that she had three different lovers in one month--
At least three! At least three! And did you show this report to the D. A.?!
Sam Bowden No, no...
No, huh?! I only discovered it after I petitioned to represent myself, six years into my sentence! But there it was in the court file! But back in '77, you buried it, Counselor! Would you care to tell the jury why?! Would you care to tell the court why?!
Sam Bowden [looking at Leigh and Danielle]
Because I know he brutally raped her and he beat her--
TALK TO ME! I'M STANDIN' HERE! [hits Sam again]
Sam Bowden Just because she was promiscuous didn't give you the right to rape her! You bragged to me that you beat two prior aggravated rapes! You were a menace!
[screaming]
YOU WERE MY LAWYER! YOU WERE MY LAWYER! That report could've saved me FOURTEEN YEARS!
Sam Bowden [begrudgingly]
You're probably right.
[disgusted]
YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS ****! I'm Virgil, Counselor, and I'm guidin' you through the gates of Hell! We are now in the Ninth Circle, the Circle of Traitors! Traitors to country! Traitors to fellow man! Traitors to God! You, sir, are charged with betrayin' the principles of all three! Can you please quote to me the American Bar Association's Rules of Professional Conduct, Canon Seven?!
Sam Bowden [saddened]
"A lawyer should represent his client..."
"Should ZEALOUSLY represent his client within the bounds of the law"! And I find you guilty, Counselor! Guilty of betrayin' your fellow man! Guilty of betrayin' your country! Guilty of abrogatin' your oath! Guilty of judgin' me and sellin' me out! And with the power vested in me by the kingdom of God, I sentence you to the Ninth Circle of Hell! Now you will learn about loss! Loss of freedom! Loss of humanity! Now you and I will truly be the same, Counselor!
[During their final fight]
Forget about that restraining order, Counselor?! You're well within 500 yards! [laughs] Well, here we are, Counselor! Just two lawyers workin' it out!
Sam Bowden I'M GONNA KILL YOU!
You already sacrificed me, Counselor!
