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Fear City (1984)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
7/25
7/25:
Abel Ferrara has always been a mediocre director.
Any film he did with the exception of Cat Chaser, I'm convinced that
Brian De Palma could do better in all aspects. Abel Ferrara doesn't know how to put together a complete product
or achieve depth from his cast, no matter how outstanding it looks on paper.
Although I like the neo-noir look of New York City in Fear City
that's obviously 42nd Street and the stripper scene with lots of misogyny, violence, and nudity, the story is
so shallow that it can be mistaken for something that's meant to be on TV. As a result, the movie never takes off.
There are editing issues, mostly due to the appeasement of the ratings board.
The bland serial killer reminds me of the guy from
The First Deadly Sin with the same strict, righteous attitude.
Worse, there's no explanation for what drove his behavior. He'll be smart enough to expand the circle of
potential victims to avoid detection, but the director wants to simplify things. Matt Rossi showing up at a
perfect time to have the inexplicable showdown with the serial killer illustrates what I mean.
Tom Berenger, Melanie Griffith, Billy Dee Williams, Michael V. Gazzo, Rae Dawn Chong, and María Conchita Alonso
in the same film...that's not a bad collection of talent. Unfortunately, all have been given superficial
characters with some of them disappearing quickly. As a result, many of them, most especially Billy
Dee Williams and Michael V. Gazzo, look like idiots.
To score some points, Melanie Griffith and Rae Dawn Chong are naked and have a hot lesbian scene. On the
other hand, Tom Berenger is near his handsome peak and has a couple of good scenes with Melanie Griffith.
They'll get together again in fourteen years to do a better movie called
Shadow of Doubt.
All in all, Fear City isn't totally worthless, but it's desperate for depth.