Frantic

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Horrorphile - February 2009

Frantic

February 25th 2009 01:43

Roman Polanski’s thriller Frantic (1988) has one of Harrison Ford’s least forced performances. Made as Ford was about to become the overpaid, overrated, heroic leading man of Hollywood, but when Ford was still capable of portraying the ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances. Apart from the effortless and extremely entertaining nonchalance of his first two outings as Han Solo, Frantic and Witness are his two best roles.

Polanski needed a hit movie. His previous effort is arguably his worst, or at least his most ill-concieved; the flamboyant, bloated mess Pirates (although curiously the Pirates of the Caribbean series seems to have been influenced by Polanski’s comic swashbuckler, even if Jerry Bruckheimer doesn’t admit it). With his ever-faithful writing colleague Gerard Brach they co-wrote (with uncredited script-doctoring from Robert Towne) a story about a wealthy and respected doctor in Paris for a medical conference whose wife mysteriously vanishes from their hotel room whilst he’s showering.

Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Walker

Richard Walker (Harrison Ford) is at wit’s end as he tries to fathom the reasoning behind what is soon revealed as abduction. The Parisian hotel and police authorities provide him with as much bureaucracy and laissez-faire as he can handle, so he assertively takes matters into his own hands. If they’ve taken his wife, then he’s gonna take serious action.

Emmanuelle Seigner as Michelle

By mistake Walker’s wife Sondra (Betty Buckley) picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. After Walker searches the luggage he finds a lead: a matchbook and accompanying keyring to the Blue Parrot bar. It after a false “white lady” lead at the venue, that Walker eventually meets Michelle (Emmanuelle Seigner), a striking young woman with a penchant for mischief. She has clues, and together they find themselves becoming further embroiled in a desperate search for his wife’s kidnappers.

One minute his wife was there, the next minute she's vanished

Polanski is a consummate director, and Frantic displays his terrific talents from start to finish. It might not be the most thrilling of thrillers, in fact the movie meanders along and provides relatively few scenes of dramatic or action intensity, but there are still some great set-pieces, most notably Walker’s dangerous scramble across the rooftops as he tries to access Michelle’s apartment as she’s being interrogated by dodgy detectives, and later, their recovery of the precious Statuette of Liberty.

Walker finds Paris communique exasperating

What was perhaps over-looked at the movie’s time of release, but which has aged well, is the movie’s sustained perspective from Walker. He’s no hero; he’s a man completely out of his depth in a labyrinthine city with a foreign tongue, and whose locals are renowned for being unhelpful to foreigners at the best of times. Walker struggles, and Frantic superbly captures his increasing anxiety and frustration. Ford sweats and stumbles convincingly.

Frantic Harrison Ford and Emmanuelle Seigner

The movie's famous (publicity) shot ...

Emmanuelle Seigner is perfectly cast as the nervous, slightly untrustworthy, charismatic white rabbit whom Walker is compelled to pursue in order to find his missing wife (she would subsequently marry Polanski and bear him two children). Polanski films Paris as a strangely ordinary, almost impenetrable city, both in contrast and in tandem to the inexplicable overwhelming events surrounding Walker and Michelle.

... But as it's actually viewed in the movie

Back in the days when Ford was actually prepared to strip for the art

Unfortunately the Region 4 DVD edition I own is a dreadful transfer with terrible artifacts and poor picture quality. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of deluxe version of the movie yet available on DVD which is a crime, only bare-bones from all region releases. Also, the opening credit sequence is far from enticing, that I must mention. It looks more like the end of some odious Euro B-movie.

Frantic might be nearly as intriguing or resonant as The Tenant (1976), Polanski’s early features, or some of his later work, such as The Ninth Gate (1999) and The Pianist (2002), but it ranks as a very excellent way to spend a rainy afternoon with a croque-madame in front of you and a bottle of Pinot Noir at your side.

Michelle won't give up without a bite (Statue of Liberty in Paris, not NYC)

Asian poster which makes the movie look like a comedy

Here's the trailer:

And here's one of the two nervewracking rooftop scenes, which Polanski had an amazing set painstakingly built for so that Ford and Seigner could do their own stuntwork:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

7 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

February 25th 2009 03:27

Actually I really do like this film.
I do enjoy suspense and this did it well.
It starts slowly and builds.

For most of the film there was this feeling that it could happen anyone. I guess that was the secret of making people identify with the main character.

Not enough film makers left that have the skills to make a good suspense film.

Comment by Bryn

February 25th 2009 05:42

Horrorphile

I quite agree. He's an old man now, 70 or so. It will be a truly sad day when Polanski will no longer be making films.

Comment by NoaIzumi

February 25th 2009 17:04

Fine Politics
Anime Bottle

Frantic is one of my favorites too. Classic story about an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances.

That Asian poster is priceless! So, is Harrison Ford playing Bing Crosby, or Bob Hope?

Comment by JohnDoe

February 26th 2009 23:11

Film & TV on DVD

Hi Bryn,

This one is a cracker.

I have always cited this as Ford's most genuine character..he is happy to display vulnerability and make mistakes.

The cinematography was quite startling for its time with obtuse Hitchcockian angles working in unison with the North by NorthWest style script.

Comment by Bryn

February 27th 2009 00:19

Horrorphile

JD! Coincidentally I was gonna email you today to apologise for my slackness in emailing you. I've been flat tack for the past two months, and so has the wife, so we've had little time for creative pursuits! But I plan to get on top of it next month!

Comment by TrailerMusic

June 24th 2009 21:13

Man I've always been looking for the music used in this trailer. The movie itself I've always liked, but i remember being disappointed with it. Loved the score but anytime there was any momentum and it was getting exciting it would suddenly halt and sort of peter out.

Comment by Bryn

June 25th 2009 01:09

Horrorphile

TrailerMusic, The legendary Ennio Morricone did the score. I'm sure you can probably purchase the CD through Amazon.

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