A tense, on-point thriller in the vein of Polanski's earlier work. Read critic reviews
Frantic
1988, Mystery & thriller/Crime, 2h 0m
42 Reviews 10,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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Movie Info
While attending a medical conference in Paris, Dr. Richard Walker (Harrison Ford) is horrified when his wife, Sondra (Betty Buckley), is abducted from their hotel room while he is taking a shower. Using his limited knowledge of French language and culture, Walker must navigate the bureaucracy of French law enforcement and ultimately, with the help of street waif Michelle (Emmanuelle Seigner), infiltrate Paris' criminal underworld in order to discover what really happened to his wife.
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Rating: R
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Genre: Mystery & thriller, Crime, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Roman Polanski
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Producer: Tim Hampton, Thom Mount
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Writer: Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach
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Release Date (Theaters): original
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $17.5M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Warner Bros., Warner Home Vídeo
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Sound Mix: Surround
Cast & Crew
Critic Reviews for Frantic
Audience Reviews for Frantic
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Frantic, unfortunately doesn't present the great surrealist style of Polanski, but show a creative and tense plot with surprising moments. Fresh.
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"Frantic" delivers what it promises: excitement. With a single action, the mood can change from calm to tense, bringing us from a perfectly relaxed seating position to the very edge of our seat. As confusing as the plot may be sometimes, it puts us in the same position as Ford. This is vintage Polanski and decidedly one of his best.
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The latter half was kind of foggy, but "Frantic" is a competent and entertaining thriller, with an excellent performance from Ford and the usual masterful direction from Polanski.
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A doctor's wife disappears in Paris, and using only the clues in a misplaced suitcase and the help of a mysterious woman, he must find her before she is killed or he is arrested. This is a classic noir film directed by one of the genre's masters, Roman Polanski. The young Harrison Ford shows his acting chops in the film's dramatic scenes, and the final sequence is shot remarkably well with angles and camera movement that are reminiscent of classic noirs. I saw a couple homages to <i>Touch of Evil</i> during this climax. I also thought the relationship between Walker and Michelle, played by Emmanuelle Seigner, was well-developed. It's obvious that she captures both Walker's attraction and repulsion. He is simultaneously drawn to her as he reviles her lifestyle and the threat she poses to his marriage. However, the film moves quite slowly throughout. It's not as bad as <i>The American</i>, but it certainly lacks sequences of action, surprise, or intrigue until act three. Even then, the film's action sequences are relatively predictable. I also found it cliche that the kidnappers are identified as Arabs, and their ethnicity seems to be the only motive for their actions. Even in 1988 Arabs are the go-to terrorists. Finally, Walker first clue is a pack of matches in the suitcase, and I found it ham-handedly coincidental that this minor clue leads him on the right track. I recently re-watched <i>A Very Long Engagement</i>, and though these two films are remarkably different in many substantive ways, I liked how the mystery in Jeunet's film had so many dead-ends, which gave the film a far more realistic feel than thrillers like <i>Frantic</i>. Overall, Polanski's film is good, but I recommend it with a few reservations.
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