Movielogr
Fear City (1984)
Directed by Abel Ferrara
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
Strippers in Manhattan are being stalked and murdered by a psycho. A hard-nosed police detective and a conflicted ex-boxer-turned-private-eye, hired by the strip club owners, set out to find him before he strikes again.
Rated R | Length 95 minutes
Actors
Tom Berenger | Billy Dee Williams | Jack Scalia | Melanie Griffith | Rossano Brazzi | Rae Dawn Chong | Joe Santos | Michael V. Gazzo | Jan Murray | Janet Julian | Daniel Faraldo | María Conchita Alonso | Ola Ray | John Foster | Emilia Crow | Nina Jones | Frank Ronzio | Juan Fernández | Jim Boeke | Vinny Argiro | Carl Strano | Ben Kronen | Madison Mason | Bill Henderson | Victor Rivers | Joe Palese | Joe Shea | Bob Yothers | John Roselius | Tracy Griffith | Lori Eastside | Sharon Anton | Barbara Andrews | James Brewer | Álvaro López | Eddie Ruffalo | Joy Michael | Linda Lee | Peter Mele | Robert Miano | Raphael Berko | Antony Ponzini | Frank Sivero | Brent Jennings | Jihmi Kennedy | Robert Giarratano | Peter Gumeny | Justin De Rosa | Adrian McKnight | John Barons | Kendall Carly Browne | Nancy Mott | Christine Greenberg
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/26/2020 | TV | Streaming | Video on Demand | 5.5 stars |
| (Average) 5.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
Found this Abel Ferrara joint on Prime. Thought I might have seen it back in the day but didn’t ring a bell. Two guys (Tom Berenger and Jack Scalia) run a “talent agency” providing young women to strip clubs in 1980s Manhattan. Melanie Griffith is one of their top talents. Also María Conchita Alonso, who has a small part as well as Rae Dawn Chong. There’s a psycho on the loose attacking strippers at first then getting more violent by killing them. The detective on the case is Billy Dee Williams.
The premise is ideal for Ferrara yet this isn’t nihilistic or cynical; it really about two guys that care about their strippers and want to stop the guy causing them harm. The big upside is all the on-location filming in midtown as it’s always great to see that piece of history captured in film. However, this isn’t nearly as grimy as it could’ve been.
The story is really Berenger’s as he suffers from PTSD from a boxing match and these events are bring it back (plus he has history w/Griffith’s character). I like him and Scalia. Griffith doesn’t get much to do other than strip and emote (she was 27 at the time of release and naked a lot in this movie). Sadly Billy Dee is also stuck in a thankless token role with little screentime being angry at the guys for screwing with his investigation.
Again, this is watchable for the cast and location. Wish they had a legit action director for the boxing versus kung fu fight. Def would’ve been the highlight of the movie.
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