Frantic (1988)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Roman Polanski (writer) &
Gérard Brach (writer)

Release Date:

26 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

They've taken his wife. Now he's taking action.

Plot:

A doctor and his wife go to Paris for a medical conference. While showering, his wife disappears. His lack of language...

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Missing Wife | Espionage | Loss Of Friend | Kidnapping

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Dr. Richard Walker
Betty Buckley	...	Sondra Walker
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Michelle
Djiby Soumare	...	Taxi Driver
Dominique Virton	...	Desk Clerk
Gérard Klein	...	Gaillard
Stéphane D'Audeville	...	Bellboy
Laurent Spielvogel	...	Hall Porter
Alain Doutey	...	Hall Porter
Jacques Ciron	...	Le Grand Hotel Manager
Roch Leibovici	...	Bellboy 2
Louise Vincent	...	Tourist
Patrice Melennec	...	Hotel Detective Le Grand Hotel
Ella Jaroszewicz	...	Restroom Attendant
Joëlle Lagneau	...	Florist

Also Known As:

Frantic (France)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Ireland:15

Filming Locations:

Le Grand Hotel Inter Continental, 2 rue Scribe, Paris 9, Paris, France

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The voice of the man in the tweed jacket who interrogates Michelle in her apartment is dubbed by Roman Polanski.

Goofs:

Plot holes: In the airport scene with Michelle, Walker is terrified that the drug-sniffing dogs will find dope in their suitcase. Michelle assures Walker that there are no drugs, and the dogs walk by calmly. Walker seems to have forgotten that he's carrying at least a gram of cocaine in his pocket, which the police dogs don't notice either.

Quotes:

Richard Walker: Who were the two guys in her apartment?
Douglas Shaap: Probably our side.
Richard Walker: Our side? Your side!

Movie Connections:

References Peur sur la ville (1975)

Soundtrack:

The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)

Amazingly Unfrantic

Frantic, a film by Roman Polanski is largely unnoticed. He is credited for pictures such as Chinatown and The Pianist, but certainly his best action-adventure flick is this one.

The film stars Harrison Ford, who plays a idiotic doctor who cannot figure out his way through Paris, where he has lost his wife to a conspiracy. The film is entirely shot in France, and the scenery, use of backgrounds is phenomenal. Polanski has a way with the camera that mimics Hitchcock in some sense, but it is entirely his own style.

The film is wrought with the oddest of humor, almost slapstick at times, but at its core it is a solid action film surrounding a kidnapping, terrorist threats and formulaic Hollywood-esquire twists. It rises above the normal thriller that is plagued with senseless violence, characters we could care less about, and bald-faced innuendo. Frantic is the kind of movie that shouldn't be missed.

An interesting thing about Frantic is that it combines European and American sensibilities and humor all at once – this is certainly not an easy task, but Polanski pulls it off very effectively.

RATING: 9/10

Man on Phone: What number are you calling from? Richard Walker: How should I know? I... I'm in a café, the Paris Midi. Man on Phone: How do you spell that? Richard Walker: How do you... with an "S" for shithead!