By skyforbes One thing that stood out to me was why Cady was out for revenge against Sam Bowden. Sam, who was acting as Cady's public defender had buried evidence of Cady's victims "promiscuity" in order to ensure that he would receive a lighter sentence or be exonerated. It is heavily implied that Cady did indeed commit the crimes he was accused of and its also mentioned that he bragged about beating two prior aggravated rape charges as well.
While I did enjoy this plot about Sam failing in his duties as a lawyer to achieve what he perceived as a morally just outcome, I was wondering if it would have been better if Cady was actually innocent of the one crime he actually went to jail for.
Now I'm not saying that he should be portrayed as a justifiably wronged man but rather an evil, menace who was ironically punished the one time he actually didn't do something wrong.
Perhaps there could be a flashback of Sam and Cady's first meeting 14 years ago. At the time, Cady is far more brash and less intelligent. Sam who is initially doing right by his job as a lawyer is soon repulsed when Cady says something like "If I can walk for the ones I actually did, it's gonna be easy to be the one I didn't do."
Cady brags to Sam about his past crimes and Sam, who at the time would have been a new father to a young daughter, deliberately sabotages the case to ensure that Cady goes to prison. In a way, Sam is ensuring in a flawed but somewhat noble way, that Cady receives punishment for the crimes he believes he has gotten away with.
I feel like by doing this, it would also explain Cady's development in prison and the seriousness of his grudge against Sam. We see that Cady becomes well-read and very intelligent in prison and obtains a small inheritance upon coming out. His brush with Sam has taught him to put on a more charming facade, be less brash but still hold a deep vendetta that despite his newfound education, he refuses to solve through legal means.
If Cady really wanted, he could have ruined Sam's life and reputation through proper channels but he chose to do it in the worst, most psychotic way possible. Sam purposely ensuring he goes to prison even if he did not commit the crime he was accused of justifies this course of action perfectly.
Personally, if I somehow could re-touch the script, I would portray Cady as a man who was able to argue for his own release and comes out of prison and exonerated man who publicly forgives Sam but torments him when nobody else is looking.
What do you guys think?