Frantic

"Danger. Desire. Desperation."

1988 2h 0m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 1,179

MysteryCrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The wife of an American doctor suddenly vanishes in Paris. To find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, triplicate-form filling bureaucrats and a defiant, mysterious waif who knows more than she tells.

“Danger. Desire. Desperation.”

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Cast

Harrison Ford
Richard Walker
Emmanuelle Seigner
Michelle
Betty Buckley
Sondra Walker
Dominique Pinon
Wino
Jacques Ciron
Hotel Manager
John Mahoney
Williams
Jimmie Ray Weeks
Shaap
David Huddleston
Peter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roman Polanski
Writers: Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 88% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Roman Polanski, shot by Witold Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sam O'Steen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Harrison Ford and Emmanuelle Seigner and Betty Buckley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roman Polanski directs. Witold Sobociński behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Sam O'Steen cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, France. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 88% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.
5Directed by Roman Polanski, shot by Witold Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Sam O'Steen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Harrison Ford and Emmanuelle Seigner and Betty Buckley carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Danger. Desire. Desperation.".
10IMDB entry: tt0095174 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "hotel room", "husband wife relationship", "paris, france", "wife".
12Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Witold Sobociński
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Sam O'Steen
Production design: Pierre Guffroy
Costume design: Anthony Powell
Makeup / hair: Jean-Max Guérin
Sound: Jean-François Auger
Stunt coordinator: Daniel Breton
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $17,637,950
Return: 88% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Frantic (1988)

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Roman Polanski

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What people are saying

JPV8522020-08-09
★ 6/10
Movie starts off well enough with the mystery element but afterward tonally felt a bit off (veered into moderate comedy at points). Ford is fine as was Emmanuelle Seigner, though I wonder if this could've used the eye of Brian De Palma rather than Polanski. 3.25/5
kevin20192024-01-24
★ 10/10
"Frantic" is an engrossing and well made film that easily builds up a genuine sense of mystery and intrigue from the very beginning. It is incredibly well crafted throughout with an immediately interesting opening gambit and Roman Polanski is a seasoned director and he knows precisely how to create a natural and rhythmic momentum to the proceedings and to then successfully maintain it at a certain level without any evidence of indecision on his part in terms of how the film ought to proceed in order to achieve its maximum potential and effectiveness. This results in a splendid film that effortlessly retains a compelling quality until the very end and it provides the perfect showcase for the romantic city of Paris even though it also makes you pause for thought about visiting there on Valentine's Day.