Frantic (1988)

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.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach,

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Betty Buckley, Emmanuelle Seigner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	Dr. Richard Walker
Betty Buckley	...	Sondra Walker
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Michelle
Djiby Soumare	...	Taxi Driver
Dominique Virton	...	Desk Clerk
Gérard Klein	...	Gaillard
Stéphane D'Audeville	...	Bellboy
Laurent Spielvogel	...	Hall Porter
Alain Doutey	...	Hall Porter
Jacques Ciron	...	Le Grand Hotel Manager
Roch Leibovici	...	Bellboy 2
Louise Vincent	...	Tourist
Patrice Melennec	...	Hotel Detective Le Grand Hotel
Ella Jaroszewicz	...	Restroom Attendant
Joëlle Lagneau	...	Florist

Storyline

A doctor and his wife go to Paris for a medical conference. While showering, his wife disappears. His lack of language, and the odd way she disappeared makes it nearly impossible for him to find any official help in his search as he enters the punk/drug culture to find out what has happened to her.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | police | shower | drugs | espionage | 

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Taglines:

They've taken his wife. Now he's taking action.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English French

Release Date:

26 February 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Búsqueda frenética

Filming Locations:

Lady Liberty Statue, Allée des Cygnes, Paris 16, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$17,637,950 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Mount Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Witold Sobocinski:  the Polish cinematographer makes a brief cameo in the early bar scene where Harrison Ford is asking about his wife (23rd minute). Sobocinski sits to the far right of the frame.

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Goofs

The match from the matchbook sounds like a wooden match when it falls after Dr. Walker checks his watch with it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sondra Walker: Do you know where you are?
Richard Walker: No, it's changed too much.

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Crazy Credits

The opening and closing credits scroll over the streets of Paris.

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Connections

Referenced in Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Something Tells Me"
Performed by Tiger Moon
Written by Ish Ledesma
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp./23 West Entertainment
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Hitchcockian in so many ways

Frantic is a movie that bears, like Hitchock's films, repeated viewing. At first sight it might appear a Hollywood thriller of the genre that has been too prevalent lately with violence, thrills and miracle rescues. This film is much more than that. The scene where the wife tries to speak to her showering husband and he can't hear, has ominous suggestion, and echoes Hitchcock's 'silent exposition' scenes form Torn Curtain and Rear Window. It is not a copy, because Polanski has taken the idea and made it fit an entirely new scenario. The humour flits along with the tension. The scene where the husband is kicked to the ground wearing nothing but a teddy bear is a welcome relief, and the scene on the roof, like the unlikely teaser in Vertigo stands up well, despite having been imitated so many times by so many other directors. Frantic has many moments of honest acting that could almost count as cinema verite moments. At the end of the film, these moments and characters stay with you. You have been emotionally challenged. If Hitchcock had lived into the 1980s and been given this script, he would probably have done the film in a way not altogether dissimilar. A triumph for 1980s Hollywood. -Phil Kafcaloudes