The Night Caller
(1975)
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The Night Caller
(1975)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jean-Paul Belmondo | ... |
Le commissaire Jean Letellier
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| Charles Denner | ... |
L'inspecteur Moissac
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Adalberto Maria Merli | ... |
Pierre Valdeck /
Minos
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Rosy Varte | ... |
Germaine Doizon
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Roland Dubillard | ... |
Le psychologue
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Jean Martin | ... |
Le commissaire divisionnaire, Sabin
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Catherine Morin | ... |
Hélène Grammont
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Germana Carnacina | ... |
Pamela Sweet
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Giovanni Cianfriglia | ... |
Marcucci
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Henry Djanik | ... |
Un inspecteur de police
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Louis Samier |
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Jacques Paoli | ... |
Lui-même
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Jean-Louis Fortuit |
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Gilberte Géniat |
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Philippe Brigaud |
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A serial killer frightens Paris by phoning young ladies at night, telling them insults about their lives. Minos, as he calls himself, wants to prevent the world from free women and so he targets them. Commissaire Letellier is given the investigation and has a hard time with the maniac. Written by Frederic Villemin <fredv@infonie.fr>
"Fear Over The City" is one of those films that invented what later became known as the clichés of the "serial-killer thriller" subgenre. It's all here: the mad killer who fancies himself a moral avenger, the "Freudian" explanations of his behavior, the threatening phone calls to the potential victims and the taunting ones to the police, the hostage situation at the end, etc. The structure of the film is almost experimental, with a chase sequence in the middle that goes on for about 30 minutes, and an entire subplot (about a bank robber who killed Belmondo's previous partner) that is little more than a mere distraction. Belmondo is good as the cynical, hard-as-nails cop, and yes, he does perform some stunts in this movie that are worthy of Jackie Chan at his finest. He has some great moments of black humor, too ("his heart really IS bleeding!") (**1/2)