Rijndri Load of rubbish!!
Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Blake Rivera If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
SimonJack An American couple arrive in Paris, and the wife soon goes missing. The French police aren't much help, the American embassy is tied up in red tape, and the hotel people think maybe she had a rendezvous with another man. Many mystery films of this nature have been made over the years. So, to be very good, such a film should excel in some things. Unfortunately, "Frantic" doesn't fit the bill. To begin with, much of this film is closed in – that is, shot in restricted surroundings, most likely on sets. There are no exciting chase scenes or elaborate situations filmed with crowds or on the streets. Just a few people fill out most scenes. That probably kept the cost down, but also makes it seem cheap. Harrison Ford can act in thrillers (Air Force One), but in this film he too often has the dumb look with the long pause of disbelief and wondering what to do next. It was okay occasionally in "Star Wars," but comes across quite goofy in this film. He's supposed to be a surgeon but he plays Dr. Richard Walker as slow-witted. This is one of those films that makes one want to shake the writers and director for some obviously dumb things in the plot. Everyone knows people can't hear one another at any distance with a shower running, so why didn't Sondra Walker walk into the bathroom to tell her husband about the phone call. Even worse, what woman would be so dumb as to be lured away from her husband to go the lobby to meet someone she didn't know? If the caller said he had her suitcase, she could easily have had a bellboy bring it up to the room. And, she didn't even take the wrong suitcase with her to meet the guy. These are plot holes and dumb situations that immediately distract one enough to conclude that this was a film with a very weak screenplay. Then there's Walker's delay in notifying anyone that his wife was missing. And, his refrained demeanor with the police and embassy people was interesting. Similar films have disturbed guys acting a little more forcefully to get results. This film can't compare with similar films -- in the plot, screenplay or acting. The only reason I give it five stars is for the fine singular performance of Emmanuelle Seigner as Michelle. I thought Roman Polanski could do much better than this – in writing and directing. Those who are inclined to compare "Frantic" with Alfred Hitchcock films should sober up. Hitchcock never did anything this weak and poor. Or, if he did, he saw it for what it was and didn't release it.
blanche-2 Harrison Ford, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Betty Buckley star in Frantic, a 1988 film directed by Roman Polanski and filmed in Paris.Ford is Dr. Richard Walker, who travels to Paris with his wife Sondra (Buckley) -- they originally spent their honeymoon there, and he's due to deliver a paper at a medical convention. When they reach their hotel, they discover that Sondra picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. While he's in the shower, the phone rings. Sondra, fresh from the shower herself, picks it up and attempts to get her husband's attention. When she can't, we see her get some clothing. When Richard emerges from the shower, she's gone. And he can't find her. Anywhere.Richard asks around and learns that she left with a man in a car. Then he finds her bracelet on the ground. Panicked, he goes to the Embassy and the police and gets nowhere. Digging through the suitcase, he finds a matchbook for the Blue Parrot nightclub. Inside there is a name and phone number written. This leads him ultimately to Michelle (Seigner), whose suitcase he has. She has left his wife's suitcase in a locker, and now whomever hired her wants what was inside the suitcase Sondra mistook for hers. In order to make sure they receive it, they've taken Sondra.I saw this film years ago. I only ed there was a French woman in it (with Ford, whom I also ed), and a scene in a parking garage. If you haven't seen the film, when you see the scene in the parking garage, you'll know why I ed it.Really excellent, exciting, suspenseful film, with Ford in top form as a tough man fighting to keep control of his emotions as he deals with bureaucrats and frustration. He has two great telephone scenes: one with his daughter, where he tries to keep from breaking down; and one with a man at the embassy (John Mahoney) where he struggles with his anger. When the concierge asks if he's been to Paris before, he says yes, they were there on their honeymoon. "Could she know someone here she has been thinking about?" he asks. Ford answers, "SINCE JUNE 15, 1968??" Emmanuelle Seigner, who married Polanski after this film, is gorgeous and creates an interesting, quirky character. According to what I read, she says she was 19 when she did this film; actually she was 21.I had three small problems with this movie: I found the ending a little strange (it's not the original one, it turns out); and I didn't understand throughout the whole film why Walker didn't ask the hotel to give him the phone number of the person who called their hotel room. Maybe they didn't have that information. My third problem was the casting of Betty Buckley as Ford's wife. She seemed a little miscast, but then, maybe I'm just not used to seeing leading men in films married to women within five years of their own age instead of 15 or 20 years.One thing that gave me a chuckle was the fact that Walker misses his speech and then runs into some drunk doctors attending the convention. I used to transcribe medical conferences -- there really aren't any more, thanks to the antics shown in this film.At any rate, Polanski's direction is masterful in this straightforward Hitchcock-type story. Great rental if you haven't seen it.
namashi_1 Roman Polanski's 'Frantic' is A Stunning Thriller, that left me spell-bound. Gripping, Intriguing & Nail-Biting, this late 1980's flick holds tremendous appeal.'Frantic' Synopsis: 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.'Frantic' narrates a frightening story of a man's desperation, with flourish. The twists & turns are sharply written, while the suspense builds up beautifully. Also, the pacing, is pitch-perfect. Polanski & Gérard Brach's Screenplay is solid, offering a highly engaging story. Polanski's Direction is fantastic. He successfully creates a world of darkness. Cinematography is excellent. Editing is well-done.Performance-Wise: Harrison Ford delivers the most challenging performance of his career. He's astonishing in here. Emmanuelle Seigner looks gorgeous & performs naturally. Betty Buckley is hugely effective. John Mahoney is subtle. David Huddleston is impressive.On the whole, 'Frantic' is a great watch!
richard-1787 I can only assume that the title of this movie refers to the situation of the script writers who, at the last hour, had no script, and so just threw this together before fleeing to some other country.The actions of the main character, played by Harrison Ford, make no sense, Even a very frantic man would not make so many foolish choices.Nor would he survive so many close calls with death.And then there is the implication that he will at some point have an affair, or at least one roll in the hay, with the young female punk. This is no doubt to titillate viewers who would not be titillated by the thought of Harrison Ford having sex with a woman his own age, like the actress who plays his wife. ( that it was directed by Roman Polanski.) Of course, Ford's character never does have sex with the young woman, so that's just another red herring.There are also no good shots of Paris here. It could just as well be set in Hoboken, for all we get in of good location shots.This movie truly has nothing to recommend it.
