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Frantic

Frantic (1988)

February. 26,1988
|
6.8
|
R
| Thriller Mystery

The wife of an American doctor suddenly vanishes in Paris and, to find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, triplicate-form filling bureaucrats and a defiant, mysterious waif who knows more than she tells.

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Reviews

Vashirdfel
1988/02/26

Simply A Masterpiece

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Actuakers
1988/02/27

One of my all time favorites.

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Acensbart
1988/02/28

Excellent but underrated film

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Limerculer
1988/02/29

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

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stuart-12777
1988/03/01

Having watched this crafted Hitchcock like thriller many, many times I am perplexed at it's comparatively low score on IMDB. It is a gem of a film not to be missed. Those who have not seen it please take the time to do so, you will not be disappointed.

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paid in full
1988/03/02

The odds are against any film maker who tries to make a movie in a foreign country. The dialogue between the american and french characters is painful to watch. The story has potential and Mr. Polanski does a great job of not making the plot too obvious... There even are quite a few suspenseful scenes. It is a watchable movie and Emmanuelle is stunning throughout. It is a decent film to study. All this being said, I found that the movie lacked something. The soundtrack was quite poor in my opinion. The bad guys were not showcased enough...It's hard to put a finger on what really went wrong but it is missing a little something. The language barrier makes it even harder to follow the whole story, so it seems the story was dumbed down thus making it a bit boring. But again, Emmanuelle saves the movie. Enjoy

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SimonJack
1988/03/03

An American couple arrive in Paris, and the wife soon goes missing. The French police aren't much help, the American embassy is tied up in red tape, and the hotel people think maybe she had a rendezvous with another man. Many mystery films of this nature have been made over the years. So, to be very good, such a film should excel in some things. Unfortunately, "Frantic" doesn't fit the bill. To begin with, much of this film is closed in – that is, shot in restricted surroundings, most likely on sets. There are no exciting chase scenes or elaborate situations filmed with crowds or on the streets. Just a few people fill out most scenes. That probably kept the cost down, but also makes it seem cheap. Harrison Ford can act in thrillers (Air Force One), but in this film he too often has the dumb look with the long pause of disbelief and wondering what to do next. It was okay occasionally in "Star Wars," but comes across quite goofy in this film. He's supposed to be a surgeon but he plays Dr. Richard Walker as slow-witted. This is one of those films that makes one want to shake the writers and director for some obviously dumb things in the plot. Everyone knows people can't hear one another at any distance with a shower running, so why didn't Sondra Walker walk into the bathroom to tell her husband about the phone call. Even worse, what woman would be so dumb as to be lured away from her husband to go the lobby to meet someone she didn't know? If the caller said he had her suitcase, she could easily have had a bellboy bring it up to the room. And, she didn't even take the wrong suitcase with her to meet the guy. These are plot holes and dumb situations that immediately distract one enough to conclude that this was a film with a very weak screenplay. Then there's Walker's delay in notifying anyone that his wife was missing. And, his refrained demeanor with the police and embassy people was interesting. Similar films have disturbed guys acting a little more forcefully to get results. This film can't compare with similar films -- in the plot, screenplay or acting. The only reason I give it five stars is for the fine singular performance of Emmanuelle Seigner as Michelle. I thought Roman Polanski could do much better than this – in writing and directing. Those who are inclined to compare "Frantic" with Alfred Hitchcock films should sober up. Hitchcock never did anything this weak and poor. Or, if he did, he saw it for what it was and didn't release it.

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Predrag
1988/03/04

Harrison Ford has made something of a career of playing earnest, middle-aged professionals whose successful lives are turned over. Ford himself does not come under personal suspicion here, and the action is a little slower, but you can see why the producers of the later film might have looked at this one and said "That's our Richard Kimble!" What it lacks in raw energy it makes up in director Roman Polanski's extremely well-observed footage of Paris, and it plays well on the frustration that Ford's character feels at being unable to speak French. There are some terrific scenes; Ford's adventures on the roof as mentioned above, him trying to 'buy' drugs in the nightclub, and, best of all, Ford and Seigner 'dancing' in the second nightclub towards the end - a wonderfully funny scene.This film feels very French, including Polanski's (right) decision not to subtitle the bits of French dialogue, despite being largely about Americans abroad, right down to the twist ending (which I won't give away), which let me with a suitably Gallic feeling of hopelessness. The story keeps you on your feet and you find yourself begging to find out what will happen next. Even better is that it's got the come back factor, leave it for a year and come back to it, it's nearly as exciting as seeing it for the first time. The thrum of a neatly designed Paris puts a near surreal edge on the atmosphere, and Ford is terrific as the American abroad shifting often between paranoia, frustration and panic. The appearance of the Statue of Liberty on the Seine outside the window of the boat cabin in Polanski is as magical and memorable an image as the Mount Rushmore finale in Hitchcock. To me, this is a pure magic!Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

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