Frantic

Name: Frantic
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Released: February 26, 1988
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Alain Doutey, Betty Buckley, Djiby Soumare, Dominique Virton, Emmanuelle Seigner

1988

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Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 29 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 29 Ratings

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Frantic

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. | Release Date: February 26, 1988 | R

Starring: Alain Doutey, Betty Buckley, Djiby Soumare, Dominique Virton, Emmanuelle Seigner, Gérard Klein, Harrison Ford, Jacques Ciron, Laurent Spielvogel, Stéphane D'Audeville

Summary: In a hotel room in Paris, a doctor comes out of the shower and finds that his wife has disappeared. He soon finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder.

Director: Roman Polanski

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin

Frantic generates its suspense precisely because it appears so reasonable, because it takes such a calm, methodical approach to the maddening events that lure Dr. Walker into the maelstrom. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Director Polanski, a master of movie atmospherics (e.g., Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby), here creates a hauntingly foreign, forbiddingly stylish Paris that seems to move to the oneiric disco stylings of Grace Jones. Harrison Ford, outstanding as an American innocent abroad, moves persuasively from complacency to confusion, rage, and paranoid desperation in a performance comparable to James Stewart's best work for Hitchcock. Read full review

Gene Siskel

Ford`s character is disoriented from the very beginning of the movie, suffering from jet lag, and you can view the movie as one long tourist`s nightmare. Although the suspense never reaches the level of Polanski`s finest work-there are plot holes that are enormous-the film is well made technically and has so many twists and turns that one can`t help but want stick around to see how it turns out. In other words, you have just read a guarded recommendation. Read full review

Desson Thomson

Frantic is vintage Polanski, with its relentless paranoia, irony, diffident strangers and nutty cameos. And Polanski forgoes the mood-marshalling Hitchcock cellos for his own brand of good old quiet tension -- here made eerier by Witold Sobocinski's high and low camera angles. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Frantic is a thriller without much surprise, suspense or excitement. Drama about an American doctor's desperate search for his kidnapped wife through the demi-monde of Paris reveals director Roman Polanski's personality and enthusiasm only in brief humorous moments. Read full review

Eric Snider

Frantic is an engrossing character study, but as a thriller it sometimes relies on cliches. For starters, the whole mess is triggered by a case of mixed-up suitcases. A drug shipment? No, worse: a device that could give some Arab bad guys nuclear weapons. Several action scenes are lifted from the Hitchcock style, but they don't capture the master's sense of suspense. Polanski weaves in moments of dark humor amid all the intrigue. [01 Mar 1988, p.1D]

Johanna Steinmetz

Certainly, the elements for a better movie are here. The credits are dotted with multi-Oscar nominees. But not all are well used. What Frantic needs most is an infusion of chemistry. Somehow Polanski has failed to make these actors connect. Read full review

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User Reviews

Steven1981

Mar 23, 2020

Frantic is a Roman Polanski film made in 1988 and I'm going to be stupid and give it a 10 and the reasons for a perfect rating is the story and because the movie doesn't focus merely on violence, blood, guts, sex scenes to entertain the audience. As with Chinatown which was directed by RomanFrantic is a Roman Polanski film made in 1988 and I'm going to be stupid and give it a 10 and the reasons for a perfect rating is the story and because the movie doesn't focus merely on violence, blood, guts, sex scenes to entertain the audience. As with Chinatown which was directed by Roman Polanski in 1974 we see in Frantic (1988) a beautifully crafted, perfect piece of film making without stupidity, violence and nonsense like that and a beautifu and kind of intelligent thriller feel to it and a mystery type film...The film may have violence or action in it but I'd say about 5% if at all so hardly any really if any...... FRANTIC doesn't rely on violence and stupidity to be a great film and all the characters are great and feels very beautifuly crafted in terms of film quality and has a decent and not dumb story. Actor "Harrison Ford" who plays Richard Walker in the film has his wife named Sondra Walker do a disappearing act on him whilst in Paris and since her disappearance wants clues and answers in a bid to find his wife. A very intelligent movie with a great story that's fairly tense and also contains romance and maybe a very small amount of violence which is probably not even that relevant to the movie because there's hardly any if at all. Anybody looking for a movie with non stop action and violence and blood and guts avoid Frantic because this isn't that type of movie. It's a movie made with common sense instead of stupidity and is very good especially in terms of entertainment and some suspense and doesn't rely on violence too much if any at all. Most of it is just dialogue and a fairly decent mystery about one man wanting answers and to find a missing person and is superbly made by director Roman Polanski and is a stylish film in all departments.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

WalterTSolley

Dec 26, 2017

Roman Polanski’s directs “Frantic” with unrelenting brilliance. There is not a single frame of this movie that does not bear the mark of a master filmmaker. Harrison Ford is the perfect “Everyman” in the Hitchcockian tradition, a modern Jimmy Stewart. A rollercoaster ride of a mystery,Roman Polanski’s directs “Frantic” with unrelenting brilliance. There is not a single frame of this movie that does not bear the mark of a master filmmaker. Harrison Ford is the perfect “Everyman” in the Hitchcockian tradition, a modern Jimmy Stewart. A rollercoaster ride of a mystery, with Ford searching Paris for his missing wife, as detours and “MacGuffin’s” abound. Witold Sobocinski‘s cinematography captures it all with inky blacks and cool elegance.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Broyax

Sep 22, 2019

Les tribulations d'un Américain à Paris dont la femme a été enlevée suite à un imbroglio d'échange de valises à l'insu du plein gré de l'ignorance des valises... dont l'une contient quelque chose pouvant remettre en cause la sécurité nationale...

Dit comme ça, ça ressemble à une trèsLes tribulations d'un Américain à Paris dont la femme a été enlevée suite à un imbroglio d'échange de valises à l'insu du plein gré de l'ignorance des valises... dont l'une contient quelque chose pouvant remettre en cause la sécurité nationale...

Dit comme ça, ça ressemble à une très mauvaise série B hollywoodienne avec Harrison Ford la star qui jouerait du flingue ou du fouet avec son chapeau mou tout en cascadant quelques cascades au milieu d'explosions et de poursuites en ville...

Or, il n'en est rien, car le réalisateur polonais en a tiré un film éminemment réaliste dans la ville-lumière sous le ciel gris, dans des endroits plus ou moins sombres, loin des lieux à touristes... même si on voit souvent la Tour Eiffel et la petite Statue de la Liberté parce que, voyez-vous, le film doit quand même "parler" au public américain.

Harrison ne campe donc qu'un bon Docteur qui n'aligne pas 3 mots de "french" et qui se retrouve bien perdu et livré à lui-même lorsque sa "wife" a disparu. Polanski joue habilement du choc des cultures en se moquant gentillement des mentalités de part et d'autre, et avec Harrison qui se prête au jeu, le film s'avère souvent très drôle !

Heureusement, la petite Emmanuelle Seigner, qui fait mieux que se débrouiller ici, et qui sait baragouiner l'amerlocain devient malgré elle son guide impromptu puisqu'elle se trouve elle aussi impliquée dans cette affaire qui se révèle par bien des côtés assez rocambolesque...

Pour autant, il ne s'agit pas d'une bête comédie et la gravité des enjeux nous est régulièrement rappelée et à cet égard, le sacré yankee Harrison délivre un jeu tout en finesse et en authenticité, loin, très loin des conneries à l'Indiana Jones ! c'est pas Spielberg aux commandes, c'est Roman Polanski !

Ainsi, Frantic est aussi prenant, drôle qu'émouvant et impliquant dans la vraisemblance de ses situations même si la fin vire un brin au grand guignol et au drame un peu trop appuyé.

En tout cas, voilà encore un bel exemple de conjugaison de talents avec cette vision aigre-douce de Polanski et un Ford vulnérable dans un environnement qui le dépasse : très peu d'acteurs américains auraient pu donner, je pense, autant de sincérité et d'auto-dérision dans ce rôle.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Craftnight405

Mar 15, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An exciting thriller, which takes time and the plot slowly builds up. From the beginning until he finds out his wife has been kidnapped is perfect. After that, the film is still exciting and interesting, but there are some stretches. Among them is the "roof scene". A really good thriller with great acting.
The film is not as well known as other great thrillers but is one of the best quality thrillers.

8.5/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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