Roman Polanski’s FRANTIC is a no frills thriller that excites by setting up its premise and letting the characters follow it to its logical conclusion. Nothing makes a better thriller than when the characters initiate the action rather than having the action thrust upon them.
Dr. Richard Walker (Harrison Ford, WITNESS), a world-renown doctor, is in Paris with his wife Sondra (Betty Buckley, ANOTHER WOMAN) for a conference. Sondra picks up the wrong suitcase from the airport and then once in their hotel disappears. Dr. Walker then frantically questions people to find out the details of what happened to his wife. Dr. Walker starts with the logical places, and when he starts to believe that his wife has been kidnapped, he does everything in his power to find the people who did it. Along his journey, Dr. Walker teams up with low-level hustler Michelle (Emmanuelle Seigner, THE NINTH GATE), who was involved with the switching of her suitcase for Mrs. Walker’s.
The film takes a note from Hitchcock and lets the characters drive the action. Another similarity with Hitchcock is with the character’s natures. Hitchcock believed that what you were would drive how you reacted. A doctor will act like a doctor and a hustler will act like a hustler. Both Dr. Walker and Michelle exemplify this principle, even to the frustration of the audience. I was captivated by the film from start to finish and loved its sense of detail. This is a solid thriller from a master filmmaker.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
