FRANTIC (1988, USA, 120m, 15) ***
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
dist. Warner Bros.; pr co. Warner Bros / The Mount Company; d. Roman Polanski; w. Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach; pr. Tim Hampton, Thom Mount; ph. Witold Sobocinski (Colour | 1.85:1); m. Ennio Morricone; ed. Sam O’Steen; pd. Pierre Guffroy; ad. Anthony Powell.
cast: Harrison Ford (Dr. Richard Walker), Emmanuelle Seigner (Michelle), Betty Buckley (Sondra Walker), Alexandra Stewart (Edie), David Huddleston (Peter), Robert Barr (Irwin), Gérard Klein (Gaillard), Jacques Ciron (Le Grand Hotel Manager), Dominique Pinon (Wino), Yves Rénier (Inspector), Robert Ground (U.S. Security Officer), John Mahoney (U.S. Embassy Official), Jimmie Ray Weeks (Shaap), Thomas M. Pollard (Rastafarian), Marcel Bluwal (Man in Tweed), Patrick Floersheim (Man in Leather), Yorgo Voyagis (The Kidnapper), Artus de Penguern (Waiter), Raouf Ben Amor (Dr. Metlaoui), Patrice Melennec (Hotel Detective Le Grand Hotel).
Roman Polanski’s ode to Alfred Hitchcock is an initially intriguing but increasingly bizarre ride. While attending a medical conference in Paris, Dr. Richard Walker (Ford) is horrified when his wife, Sondra (Buckley), is abducted from their hotel while he is taking a shower. Using his limited knowledge of the French language and culture, Walker must navigate the bureaucracy of French law enforcement and ultimately, with the help of misfit Michelle (Seigner), infiltrate the city’s criminal underworld in order to discover what really happened to his wife. Ford delivers his usually reliable performance, and brings an everyman feel to his character. However, Polanski takes the film down an increasingly absurd road as character actions become more illogical. The film is also lacking in the build of tension with performances, like Polanski and Brach’s script, remaining low-key for the most part.
