Fear City (1984) User Reviews

Not much is here to grab a hold of character wise

[breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com · 5/10 · 28 December 2012]

When it comes to movies that are pure crime thriller in that genre, every component has to be the best. Top notch. And somewhat relative to another crime thriller called Nighthawks (1981), also starring Billy Dee Williams, Fear City (1984) just doesn't seem to add anything new. It is almost equal in entertainment; that is mediocre.

Fear City (1984) is about a couple of individuals that get caught up in the middle of a killer's rampage. The individuals consist of Matt Rossi (Berenger), a retired boxer and his partner Nicky Parzeno (Scalia) who are affiliated with the Italian mob and own their own club where topless dancers are the main attraction. But soon things start to go haywire when a killer starts assaulting Rossi's and Parzeno's girls and then they stop showing up to work.

It's hard to imagine Berenger with an Italian New York accent but he pulls it off okay. Rossi also has a girlfriend who works at his club, Loretta, played by Melanie Griffith. Griffith's character does play a significant role in the story (besides dancing topless) but the fact that there was a subplot that involved her regretting having sex with Rossi was irrelevant. Writer Nicholas St. John probably should have reviewed his script first before filming started. I also didn't understand how the background of Rossi connected to the current plot. It's great that it was included but there was never a clear connection to why he went from boxing to management of clubs.

And for the killer, I don't understand why he was uncredited and if that was the case, why he didn't come out and say anything. His performance, although not spectacular, was the main reason why this whole movie was created! His style of killing was different to see than the usual psychopaths, even though half the time nothing was scene. I also don't understand the logic behind that. The film had some many cuts in it because it was too gory. How gory could it have been? I could sure think of some films that were much more graphic. The Evil Dead (1981) sound familiar?

Also no background was given to the killer and every time he attacked someone, the blade he carried got bigger. First it was a scissors, a few kills later he used a katana sword. Strange. Finally, in the end though, it leads up to a rather entertaining fistfight between Rossi and the killer. Too bad I can't say that for the rest of film.

This crime thriller is directed by Abel Ferrara, who would later go on to direct other more significant thrillers like King of New York (1990) and Body Snatchers (1993). Ferrara's direction of filming in some of the dirtiest looking alleys in the city was a nice touch atmosphere wise. There are also a few comical scenes in this film but that's only because of the time this movie was filmed. Dick Halligan's soundtrack to this film was a little more involving than some others I've heard but it wasn't memorable. It's just a dry thriller.

The script was written with good subplots but it seems to forget how to connect them to the story at hand. See it more for nostalgia of a young Tom Berenger.

Overlooked To Some Degree, & Over Cut Too

[TheAnimalMother · 7/10 · 19 May 2023]

This Abel Ferrara has some weaker aspects to it, however it also boasts some pretty impressive things within it. Honestly as far as these type of 1980's films go, this one is far superior in many ways to the average. The IMDb rating here on this film is crazy really. It does have some problems this film, for sure. As said however, when compared to the average police crime thriller of the time, this one really does have many great things going for it. Overall, it is a pretty good film, and well worth a watch for many.

There also may be many different opinions on how good the film is, because there actually is a number of differently cut versions out there. Many of them with a lot of censorship. So if you do have interest in seeing this, definitely make sure you're going with a version that is not too heavily cut. Apparently even the US R Rated version does contain some extra edits, but not as much as many other versions. To my knowledge only the Dutch and Greek video versions are fully uncut.

7/10.

Nothing much.

[gridoon · 5/10 · 24 March 2002]

Ex-boxer Tom Berenger, now an agent of strippers, tries to track down the maniacal killer that slashes "his" girls with a razor-blade. Problem is, we know who the killer is right from the start, so there's no mystery and no progression of the plot - it's just a series of consecutive murders. The good cast compensates somewhat, and the film holds your interest, but it all seems to be merely an excuse for the final showdown between Berenger and the killer, and even that isn't as good as it could've been. (**)

Not a Bad film

[eibon04 · 18 April 2001]

Good film that doesn't get the same amount of respect as other Ferrara movies. Fear City(1984) is a precusor to Spike Lee's Summer of Sam(1999). The character Matt Rossei is the typical Ferrara person who is guilt ridden and is continously searching for the pain relieving rewards of redemption. Influenced heavily by Maniac(1980), New York Ripper(1982), and The Godfather(1972). Like most of Abel Ferrara's films, Fear City(1984) was horribly cut to prevent it from getting an X rating. The opening attack is reminscent of the first attack of Thana in Ms. 45(1981). Melenie Griffith has never before or since looked and acted with an erotic and sexy quality like she does in Fear City(1984).

I guess I saved myself the trouble of dredging the sewers to find you

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 20 December 2007]

(There are Spoilers) Very graphic film about a crazed killer Pazzo, John Foster, out to rid the city of strippers and go-go dancers who in his disturbed mind are the cause for all the ills in the world. Going out on what seems like a crusade against sin and indecency Pazzo, who's name is never mentioned in the film, ends up slicing up some dozen strippers and go-go dancers as well as hanging, off camera, sleazy drug pusher Jorge, Juan Fernandaz, before his reign of terror is finally over.

Pazzo's brutal assaults has those who run the strip joints in a panic with the girls refusing to go out to work not wanting to become Pazzo's next victim. All this has strip joint owner Mike, Michael Z. Gazzo,go so far as getting overweight and middle aged hookers to entertain his by now quickly declining customers! Ex-boxer Matt Rossi, Tom Berenger, and his boyhood friend Nicky Parzeno, Jack Scalia, who run a talent agency providing girls for the city's strip joints are also getting a bit teed off with all their girls never showing up for work at the strip joints and go-go bars that their assigned to.

With nobody really knowing who's committing these brutal crimes homicide police detective Al Wheeler, Billy Dee Williams, deuces that it's a gang war between the two top talent strip joint agencies run by Rossi & Parzeno and their biggest rival the agency owned by Brooklyn's Goldstein, Jan Murray. It's when one of Goldstein's girls ends up a victim of the crazed killer that it becomes apparent after Det. Wheeler almost ran the Rossi & Parzeno agency out of business that it's the work of a lone nut psycho.

The movie has Matt's girlfriend Loretta, Melanie Griffith, who strip-joint owner Mike's biggest attraction end up getting back on coke, the stuff that you sniff not drink, when her lesbian lover and fellow stripper Rea Dawn Chong becomes one of Pazzo's victims. Savagely attacked Rea hangs on to life at the hospital for about a week and when she finally, and mercifully, passes away Loretta really becomes addicted on drugs where her sexy figure shrivels up to the point where she ends up looking like a holocaust survivor!

Matt who's already on Det. Wheeler's sh*t-list for brutally working over a tourist, out of town architect Boeke, thinking that he's the psycho killer ends up going back to the old neighborhood, Little Italy, asking the local Godfather Carmine, Rossano Brazzi, for help in getting the killer. Carmine was about as helpful as the cops are in not having a clue who this psycho is. It's only later when Loretta goes back to her drug pusher Jorge who, unknowingly to Loretta, turned out to be Pazzo's latest victim that Matt followed her and met up with the deranged martial arts expert for the films exciting and bone crushing conclusion.

Much like the movie "Taxi Driver" which it obviously copied from "Fear City" shows New York at it's most raw and grittiest. The night scenes that make up well over 75% of the film give you the feeling that the city is no place to bring up a family or take your girl out for a date. Tom Barenger as fit and in shape as he's even been, in any film that he was in, is excellent as the ex-boxer Matt Rossi. Matt had quit boxing after he killed a man in the ring. This after begging the referee, James Brewer, to please stop the fight before the final and fatal, to Matt's opponent, round.

It was good to see that Matt still had it, a lighting left jab and devastated right cross, when he confronted Pazzo at the end of the movie. It was that combination, together with a few head buts,that finished the crazed killer off for good. It's was just too bad that Matt's friend Nicky Parzeno didn't fear as well ending up in the hospital with a couple of broken ribs from karate kicks he took from Pazzo earlier in the film.

Sleazy crime thriller!

[jellopuke · 7/10 · 12 February 2018]

Some great shots of the old New York, before the Disney-fication of it all. If you like sleazy strip clubs, mobsters, drug alleys, and brutal killings, then this is a solid thriller. And seeing Billy Dee is always welcome. He does a fine job as the intense cop, even though his role is small.

Sub-par effort

[rosscinema · 4/10 · 10 April 2003]

I think the reason that a good director like Abel Ferrara made this predictable film was that after making such low budget films he would branch out and make something more commercial. After gaining good notices for the cult hit "Ms.45" Ferrara probably was given an assignment by a decent studio with a decent budget. Well, "Fear City" is a violent and raunchy thriller that goes from being predictable to downright silly! Tom Berenger who is about two years from "Platoon" plays an ex-boxer who along with his pal Jack Scalia run an agency that sends strippers out to work in dance clubs. Unfortunately, they're is also a psycho who is killing strippers and its creating havoc in the clubs. The woman are afraid to work and the cops are coming down hard on the clubs trying to find the killer. Billy Dee Williams plays a cop that is so racist and sleazy that he becomes a cliche'. Melanie Griffith appeared in this film the same year that "Body Double" was released so this was the year that her career really started to blossom. She appears nude here and so does her friend in the film Rae Dawn Chong. There is an abundant of nudity in the film as most scenes take place in the strip clubs. The ending is preposterous as... ***SPOILER ALERT*** I'm about to describe the ending as Tom Berenger gets in shape ala' Rocky and takes on a psycho who knows karate. You can guess the outcome! Good shots of authentic New York locations before that section of the city was cleaned up. Ferrara is a very good director but at that time I think he was just trying for a more mainstream audience and the result is a cheesy thriller. The raunchy settings make it somewhat watchable and seeing these actors in early roles is interesting but its clearly a misfire.

A slick sleazefest from Abel Ferrara

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 9 June 2017]

Abel Ferrara's follow up to his excellent rape/revenge drama Ms.45 is another slice of scuzzy, '80s New York exploitation, taking place in the sleazy world of the Big Apple's strip clubs. Tom Berenger stars as ex-boxer Matt Rossi, who now co-manages the Starlite Talent Agency with his best pal Nicky (Jack Scalia), the pair supplying dancers to the city's many strip joints. When several of their girls are viciously attacked by a knife-wielding martial arts maniac (Neil Clifford), Matt and Nick set out to find the psycho before he strikes again.

Fear City is exactly what you might reasonably expect from a director previously known for hardcore porn and a video nasty (the infamous Driller Killer): a gloriously sleazy slice of life in the gutter, chock full of female nudity and mean spirited violence. However, with backing from 20th Century Fox, the film is also a lot slicker than his earlier work, benefiting from excellent cinematography that effectively captures the neon drenched atmosphere of Times Square/42nd street, and a decent cast that includes Melanie Griffith as Matt's stripper love interest Loretta, Billy Dee Williams as bigoted homicide cop Al Wheeler, and Rae Dawn Chong and Maria Conchita Alonso as helpless victims of the karate killer.

For the record, Griffith goes topless and bares her ass in a teeny thong, and Chong jiggles her baps.

FEAR CITY (Abel Ferrara, 1984) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 20 May 2007]

This early flick from Abel Ferrara piles on the sleaze as it deals with a group of strippers being hounded by an unknown night-time assailant; from a surprisingly good cast for such cheap exploitation fare, Melanie Griffith scores best as the most popular stripper around, who also happens to be her moody boss (Tom Berenger)'s ex, indulges in a lesbian relationship on the side (with fellow stripper Rae Dawn Chong) and turns into a full-blown junkie when the latter dies at the hands of our good friend, the serial killer. Nice clean family fare, then, right? While the film remains watchable throughout and even has a handful of amusing sequences (most notably when, having been mistaken for the killer, the wrong guy gets beaten up in the kitchen of one of these clubs) and performances (in particular, Michael V. Gazzo as an irascible strip-joint owner), it is seriously damaged by a frankly dull hero (or rather anti-hero, since we're basically talking about an ex-boxer-turned-pimp here) and a very silly villain (a karate expert/fitness freak/budding writer). Billy Dee Williams also stars as an irate cop disgusted by all the squalor around him and Rossano Brazzi turns up for a free plate of pasta as the pre-requisite "respectable" mobster overseeing NYC's underworld. For the record, the film was originally bankrolled by Twentieth-Century Fox but they eventually sold the property to an independent company in view of its objectionable content and a cleaned-up, padded-out version eventually made the rounds on US TV and European videos; also, the actor playing the serial killer remains uncredited to the end, just as the killer's name is never known throughout the film.

An auteur finding his wings

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 2 February 2023]

"Fear City" reminded me of "Vice Squad", another '80s flick which is much better made than you would expect for a movie that comes under the "exploitation" category.

It's not a surprise that the movie is well made, because it is made by Abel Ferrara, an auteur who started in porn, moved on to bargain-basement exploitation, developed a conscience and a sense of style and at last, refused to not be taken seriously with his cinematic visions.

That vision wasn't fully fledged with "Fear City", though. Perhaps it wasn't until "Bad Lieutenant" that it really came through? "Fear City" feels like an exploitation flick at odds with its purpose, like Ferrara had something to say, but hadn't quite worked out what it was, yet.

The spiritual theme is sort of there, with a requisite scene in a Catholic church, but typically Ferrara contrasts that with a backdrop of sleaze. Here, there's so much sleaze that there's barely time for anything else. Most of the scenes take place in strip clubs, and it seems like every second shot is of a dancing, topless girl.

The movie tries for a plot about a guy slashing up woman but doesn't really get there. The killer is barely in it, and most of the movie just seems to be about running a strip-club in mid-Eighties New York. The movie not only doesn't name the killer, he isn't even credited!

What I must say about "Fear City" is that it nails the sleazy, pitch black, neon light and cigarette smoke infused atmosphere of a menacing city at night time. It nails it to such an extent that characters and plots are overshadowed and barely register. Tom Berenger as our hero, a boxer turned nightclub worker, is apparently tormented by the memory that he killed someone in the ring, but we don't care. When the movie flashes back to that, it's tiresome.

"Fear City" also has Melanie Griffith, one of the sexiest stars in film history, who was also a capable actress (she was nominated for an Oscar a few years later). Here, she's underutilised. The movie treats her like requisite sex appeal without talent: it lets us see her without getting to know her.

I still enjoyed "Fear City" for how well made it is. It's just that the plot and characters are lost somewhere amongst all the darkness, the neon lights, the booze, the cigarettes - and perhaps more than anything, the breasts.

Utterly predictable Ferrara flick with a young Griffith.

[innocuous · 4/10 · 11 April 2006]

This may be worthwhile to rent if you're a Melanie Griffith fan, since she's nude in about 40% of her scenes, but the movie leaves a lot to be desired overall.

Much of the tension is supposed to be derived from Berenger's guilt over the outcome of a boxing match several years earlier, but we never really connect with him in this regard. In fact, Berenger's acting is really sub-par here...worse than "Sniper". The idea of personal redemption is there, it's just not realized.

Jack Scalia does a good job with a thankless part. Billy Dee Williams is handed a role with ridiculous dialog and ultimately looks like an idiot when he reverses himself completely in order to express respect for Berenger's character following the "final conflict".

The assorted character actors do a much better job, but they can't make up for the absence of any logical plot progression and realistic dialog.

Finally, unlike some other reviewers, I don't really have any problem with the fact that we never really understand what motivated the murderer. These sorts of answers usually don't come tied up in neat little packages labeled, "Sexually Abused by Father", or "Sister Died at the Hands of a Drunken Physiscian". In the ORIGINAL version of "Two Minute Warning", we never found out why the sniper went a-sniping, which was, in my opinion, an order of magnitude superior to the butchered version with the sub-plot of the burglary thrown in to make sense of it all for the middle-class viewers.

Not recommended to buy or rent, but it may be worth watching if you see it come on the late show and you can't sleep. By the way, the "uncut" version is not substantially different from the other versions, except for a bit more skin.

Wrong em' Boyo

[valis1949 · 8/10 · 24 August 2010]

Although FEAR CITY is provocatively titillating, and sex drenched, it really never manages to seduce. However, the film does a remarkable job of capturing the essence of early 80's tawdry 42nd St. Midtown Manhattan (Pre-Disneyfication). And, the film boasts a cavalcade of 80's talent; Tom Berenger, Billy Dee Williams, Melanie Griffith, and Rae Dawn Chong. Although director Able Ferrara was throttled by too many producers, he has still managed to craft a fairly interesting picture. What makes FEAR CITY slightly unusual is the treatment of the killer. In most films of this nature, the primary aim is to identify and demonstrate the Evil Doer's, Means, Motive, and Opportunity. However, in FEAR CITY Ferrara only shows the manifestation of the killer's violence, and nearly nothing is divulged of his character or motivation. The killer is shown as a mere cipher, and such a depiction is more in keeping with the Horror Genre rather than Detective Fiction. FEAR CITY is certainly not a great film, or even one of Able Ferrar's better efforts, but it is still worthy of a look.

Dark & enjoyable, if not 100% satisfying in some weird way

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 20 July 2022]

I'd be lying if I said this wasn't a somewhat peculiar movie. The bursts of violence are horrific, and the picture maintains an emphatically gritty tone, yet scenes spotlighting the killer feel a tad contrived. There's several noteworthy names and faces appearing here, and the roles they are given to fill have complicated histories and backgrounds that could be teased out to even more splendid, visceral or emotional ends. Yet most of the figures quietly come and go in the narrative, and the one centered as the protagonist - Matt Rossi, portrayed by Tom Berenger - feels more like a man caught in a whirlwind than an active force driving the story. For all the characters and threads of plot herein, the development of that plot comes across less as a line moving forward, and more as a grim malaise of wretchedness slowly spreading outward in all directions. As such, each subsequent concrete story beat that propels the runtime almost feels out of place. 'Fear City' is solidly enjoyable, but it's a bit of an oddity, and I can't begrudge anyone who holds it in lower esteem.

The vibe is definitely one of neo-noir - seedy characters all around, dubious dealings, bad business, and circumstances that progressively spin out of control. Within that vague context, there's a lot to love about Nicholas St. John's screenplay: the very human characters; the dialogue oozing fear, exhaustion, and broad spite; the scene writing that over the course of the length adopts an evermore dire air of immediacy. And I do quite like the overall narrative, for while it feels a trifle unorthodox, and perhaps unsteady on its feet, the curiousness of the approach here is by no means an inherent mark against it. In fact, by keeping the storytelling relatively nebulous and fuzzy, one can infer a measure of universality - this could be anywhere, at any time, and the themes and characters could apply elsewhere and otherwise - in contrast to the specificity that a more streamlined, distinct narrative would impose. Similarly, even as the killer is shown to have a couple qualities that set him apart from any average John Doe, the movie declines to impart a precise motive or reasoning, lending credence to the notion that this unnamed attacker who voices such strident misogyny is a stand-in for every person who by any account exhibits the same senseless hatred of women. And, if one reads such harsh connotations into the amorphous, open slant of the writing, 'Fear City' becomes even more bleak - and for that, even more engrossing.

Combine all this with the tremendous film-making skills of Abel Ferrara, who makes all the grime of New York feel extra real and personal, and it's hard not to become invested in the movie even though something feels persistently, indescribably "off." I won't say that this is a "fun" viewing experience, but at length it's a strongly engaging one. The hair and makeup work, costume design, and broad production design are swell, and the cinematography is excellent. The sequencing partly suffers from and feeds into the same muddied haze that clouds the writing, but the film editing at large is executed well. And yet for all the fine contributions that characterize 'Fear City,' and for as enjoyable as the picture is overall, the aspect of its craft to stand out the most isn't what you'd think. "New York doll," a song performed by David Johansen that opens the film and closes the end credits, is marvelous. It quickly sets a dark tone for this 80s picture, and exemplifies a brilliant, invigorating score and soundtrack that may be the single best part of the feature.

It's not without its flaws. At the same time that the approach to storytelling opens different possibilities, the strangely noncommittal writing of characters and narrative development is a little off-putting. It's a fine, quixotic balance the feature tries to strike, and the results are mixed. All this is kind of beside the point, though: one can dissect the minutiae of the title from top to bottom, but at the end of the day, it's dark, it's violent, and it keeps us watching. Warts and all, 'Fear City' is better than not, and its imperfections kind of add to its appeal. Content warnings should be noted for substantial nudity, and violence against women, and even putting these aside Ferrara's style won't meet the personal preferences of all viewers. Still, if you have the chance to watch it, there's a lot to like about 'Fear City,' and I think it's worth checking out.

Less than successful crime flick from Abel Ferrara

[The_Void · 5/10 · 4 March 2007]

Abel Ferrara is one of the kings of gritty, urban cinema, and he's made some good stuff with flicks like Ms 45, King of New York and Bad Lieutenant; but when he gets it wrong, it's often disastrous; shown by boring films such as Cat Chaser and The Funeral, and unfortunately; Fear City is another not completely successful film from the cult director. I went into this one hoping for something like a Giallo-styled urban thriller set in New York, but it's more like a hodgepodge of cool and dodgy characters, with a bunch of murders that feel more like an afterthought than a well thought out plot line. The plot focuses on a strip club in New York. Matt Rossi, an ex-boxer who was forced to quit the ring after killing a man is working for a talent agency with links to the strip club, along with his friend Nicky. Strippers start being murdered, and cop Al Wheeler starts to exert pressure on Matt and Nicky in the hope that he'll be able to bring them down. This leads Matt to try and track down the murderer himself...

The main problem with the film is the plot. Ferrara doesn't seem to want to just focus on one thing, and the result is a film that tries to do too much and ends up being a confusing mess. Furthermore, it's often completely predictable where the film is going and it's not even all that fun getting there. The murders are the biggest disappointment as despite the fact that the director has something of a flair for violence - these ones are very tame and some of them even happen off-screen! Very disappointing. The scenes inside the central strip club are nice and sleazy and, actually, my favourite thing about the film. The characters aren't particularly interesting, nor are the performances. The only notable actors in the film are Billy Dee Williams (better known for his role in the latter two Star Wars films) and a young Melanie Griffith. The most notable part comes at the end of the film in the form of a fight between the boxer and the murderer. Overall, Fear City has a good atmosphere and looks nice; but this isn't backed up by a decent plot, so the film isn't all that good.

Mixed Results

[eibon09 · 23 April 2001]

Disappointing follow up for Abel Ferrara to the excellent Ms. 45(1981) for a few reasons. One, there is not the same emotional or intensity level of the previous film. Two, the main character compared to Thana is almost not likable. Three, at times the film is fascinating to watch while other times the film bogs down to boring.

Doesn't know whether it wants to be a slasher pic, a mafia epic or both. The inclusion of the mafia in Fear City(1984) sort of reminds me of Fritz Lang's M(1931). Like in M(1931), the mafia is interested in finding the stalker/murderer because he's hurting their business. Part of Fear City(1984) is a warmup for King of New York(1990) and The Funeral(1996).

A ridiculous aspect of the movie is the idea of the karate killer. I wondered why this film was not named The Karate Killer which is a better title than Fear City(1984). The karate stalker/murderer seems out of place in Fear City(1984) for he is someone who belongs more in a Steven Seagal film and less in an Abel Ferrara feature. Major putdown that hurts the film a lot.

Matt Rossi is a character that's hard to pin down. In some scenes he is arrogant and unlikable. In other scenes Matt Rossi is guilt ridden and vulnerable. Its this guilt ridden quality of Matt Rossi that puts him in the line of Ferrara characters such as Thana(Ms. 45), Frank(King of New York), and the Lt(Bad Lieutenant).

The filming of the sleezy locale of Fear City(1984) is one of the film's saving graces. Abel Ferrara is terrific at showing a part of New York where sleeze, sex , and death are common and life or human flesh is cheap. Done before the current Mayor of New York City cleaned that part of the city up. In the style of many similar Italian erotic thrillers.

Fear City(1984) and Lucio Fulci's The New York Ripper(1982) have a lot in common with each other. One, both films take place in the sleezy parts of Times Square during the 1980s. Two, the two films have a killer whose on an insane mission for human purity. Three, the violence and the sex in Fear City(1984) and New York Ripper(1982) are depicted in an ugly and unpleasent fashion.

Like other Ferrara features except for Bad Lieutenant(1992), Fear City was badly cut for its theatrical release in the United States. It seems that the director's films are not well liked by the MPPA. I might see the movie in a different light if I ever saw the complete uncut version of Fear City(1984). Scenes that were cut or trimmed involved heavy graphic violence.

The first flashback sequence is a fantasic blend of realism and surreal. Done with the same horror quality as the dream of Thana from Ms. 45(1981). The second flashback sequence is even better. Shows how Matt Rossi got involved with Mafia Boss, Carmine.

The fight between boxer Matt Rossi and the Karate Killer is both entertaining and silly. A strange way for Matt Rossi and the Karate Killer to confront each other. This sequence loses some steam after a few minutes bcause of the one sided match. Pales in comparison to the Halloween party massacre sequence in Ms. 45(1981).

Tom Berenger is average in the role of the tormented Matt Rossi. The best acting in Fear City(1984) belongs to Michael V Gazzo who gives some unintentional comic relief as erotic dance club owner, Mikey. The attack on the first dancer is done with the same editing technique as with the first rape on Thana in Ms. 45(1981). Melanie Griffith plays the same kind of character here that she did on Brian De Palma's Body Double(1984)[She is extremely beautiful and sensual more in Fear City than in any other of her films].

neon, nudity, and nunchucks

[PIST-OFF · 7/10 · 30 May 2021]

Nobody does sleaze like Abel Ferrara. This 80's era sleaze fest in wall to to wall nudity, mobsters, serial killers, and bad music straight from the heart of New York during it's halcyon days as America's living hellscape. An absolutely outstanding cast round out a story about mob guys trying to protect their strippers from a straight psychopath. Cinematography is a bit choppy as I guess there was various editing and recutting done to please the tools that make up the MPAA but it only momentarily distracts and gives the whole movie a kind of late era grindhouse feel. Excellent.

A city of de populating angles in Ferrara's movie sleaze

[videorama-759-859391 · 7/10 · 25 August 2014]

For sickies, Fear City is much like a lot of other glitzy and not so glamorous sleaze type movies. You could compare it quite strongly to Angel or many other if it's type, only it's directed by Abel Ferrara, which has you wondering, "Why is he wasting his time doing this?" Now realizing this flick was made earlier, has made me having to change my verdict with that question, where he was still only trying to get started. But even before I pondered that question, Fear City still comes off better than a lot of other sleaze films. Yes there's boobs, other nudity, and some sick violence, something you don't underestimate with this New York based director, but it's quite a tight neck, and effective psychological thriller, but still cliché'd and very predictable. It has some great drawn characters, and the sort of actors you wouldn't suspect of acting in this, well most of them. Berenger gives a take note performance. He plays an ex boxer, harvesting much guilt who spent some time in the pen, on the account of manslaughter while in the ring. He's now an owner and co agent of a nightclub, hiring out strippers who are being nastily disposed of by a boxing psycho, so you know inevitably a show down is to ensue. Billy Dee Williams is great to watch as a hard nosed cop, who really has it in for Berenger, even at this end. Hate is a great attribute on screen. You will have to turn your eyes for about a minute, as one really overweight stripper does an act with a toy horse. If you're an AF fan, is for you, where if to looking along the line of an Angel/Streetwalkin' slasher of bit better quality, you'll be right at home with this one.

Fear and confusion fills the nights of New York City.

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 8 December 2008]

It wasn't bad, just disappointing. Director Abel Ferrara pumps up this seamy and hasty thriller with genuine atmosphere of blazing violence and scorching sleaze, but Nicholas St. John's story that accompanies this ambiance is skimpily unfocused by being made-up by a collection of random murders and finally, a preposterous climax. It felt more like a drearily contrived soap-opera at times, but the twist on the vicious killer (a student of martial arts and maybe a writer to boot) was a hard one to grasp. Was there any sort of motivation, and why target certain girls. This is brought up to only become secondary; therefore it never maintains much mystery when it feels like it's actually working up to something. Some amusing moments crop up, and the humour is considerably well-judged especially surrounding actor Michael V. Gazzo.

Ferrara's direction can be slick and racking, but really lacks the adrenaline boost. The sombre look and bleak setting works in passages, and the throbbing soundtrack stays abound. The cast is a dependable lot without receiving standing applause. Tom Berenger gives a hauntingly scared, but assertively low-key performance. Billy Dee Williams adds to the film's fire-belly and Jack Scalia works well along side Berenger. A young Melanie Griffith is mildly okay, emitting a sullen affection and heating it up. Also showing up is Rae Dawn Chong and Joe Santos. As for the guy who plays the killer, it remains a mystery and so does the actor. The script is filled with thick, hardboiled dialogues that grind away, but don't add anything in the way of substance.

glorious night shots of 42nd Street and Times Square

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 18 May 2016]

Bearing in mind this is an early Ferrara, coming after Driller Killer and Ms.45 I should perhaps not have been so surprised at its failings. It is far better than the former but some way less good than Ms.45 and there is the problem of censorship. There are cut and uncut versions of this available but all versions lack chunks of material originally cut and now presumably lost. This accounts for some glaring jump cuts and a freeze frame on a sex scene that had me thinking my disc had stuck. Splendid camera-work as usual and worth seeing just for the glorious night shots of 42nd Street and Times Square, now nicely tidied up, I understand. Here the neon sizzles almost as much as the strippers in the clubs. Melanie Griffith seems to do all her own sex dance near nude scenes and probably gives the best acting performance. Most of the cast overact like crazy and much of the dialogue seems very stilted making it difficult to take much very seriously. Not least the karate crazed series killer who although he doesn't speak (nor even have a name) manages to look ridiculous all the same. The kills are grim, even in their trimmed form, especially intercut with the 'dancers' and the nightclub scenes are suitable sleazy. Its just all a bit predictable and with the edge maybe taken off with those cuts not quite as terrifying as I'm sure the director intended.

Sucks city.

[vertigo_14 · 2/10 · 11 April 2004]

This certainly is one of the worst "thriller" movies I've seen, thanks to a loaded plot and an unexplained finale. A couple of guys run a "talent" agency for the local strip clubs. So, there will be plenty of nude girls parading in front of the camera. But, they start losing business and "talent" when a psychoitc killer in the style of 'Red Dragon' is lose on the streets and killing their girls.

That might be an alright story in itself, but the story just drags on as they add in a few misfitting plot points and fail to explain what this killer is all about. Not to mention the ridiculous ending. Tom Berenger is Matt Rossi, one of the agency promoters. His ex-girlfriend is one of the dancers, Loretta (Melanie Griffith), and she could be the next to get killed after her girlfriend (literally), Leila (Rae Dawn Chong) is nearly slashed to death in a brutal stabbing. So, the killings are getting personal for Matt, and he sets it upon himself to stop the guy before he gets to Loretta. Well, that's fine and dandy, except then they drag on the story with flashbacks of Matt's previous career as a prize fighter and having killed one of the guys he's fought against, thus making it his moment of retirement. Why this was necessary to the whole story, and why we are forced to revisit it numerous times in the movies, I can't understand. And accordingly, that distracts any attention to an already thin story.

Then, the character is some sort of wierd martial arts guy, that has it in for Matt. But what the motive is for these killings, I am unsure of, and they never seem to explain, not even at the end when the killers are supposed to spill the beans about their plans and everything. Nope. They barely explain the killer at all here, he is just some sick wierdo going around slashing strippers.

And, there is the dumb fight scene between the wierdo killer and Matt (who could've just killed the jerk with a gun in a minute instead of dragging out the movie any longer). And why didn't Wheeler (Billy Dee Williams), the cop who was concurrently investigating the whole mess, figure this out, too, or even sooner than Matt? It was totally ridiculous, just adding to how stupid and least entertaining the movie is. Though normally, I like Tom Berenger's movies, for this one, I say skip it.

Cleaning the streets of Manhattan, one strip dancer at the time

[Coventry · 6/10 · 12 July 2021]

Quiz-question: what's the most rancid and grittiest place on earth? I'd say it's Manhattan, New York, or at least as depicted in numerous horror movies and thrillers during the late 70s and early 80s. With its sleazy night life culture, sex clubs and strip bars, drug incidents, and organized crime networks, downtown NY always seemed to be a fertile breeding ground for perverts, lunatics, sadist rapists and serial killers. There exist many great cult films to prove this statement ("Taxi Driver", "Basket Case", "Maniac", "Cruising", "Night of the Juggler") but the absolute master-director in this domain was native New Yorker Abel Ferrara.

My expectations for "Fear City" in terms of utter NY-rancidness were quite high after Ferrara's first ventures "Driller Killer", and especially the magnificent "Ms. 45". Far too high, apparently, because "Fear City" is somewhat of a disappointment. The director can't be entirely blamed for this, though, since allegedly his producers and studio superiors severely altered the content and narrative structure in order to make the film more commercially attractive. I guess that happens when you start working with bigger companies and larger budgets.

At heart, it's still a genuine Ferrara. Female strip dancers are attacked and mutilated after their nightly shifts. These girls are provided by "legit" agencies, run by the mafia, and their representors refuse to collaborate with the police because they assume the competitors are behind the assaults. When the aggressions turn into vicious murders, and it becomes clear they are the work of a self-declared prophet with a degree in martial arts, former boxer turned go-go dancer agent Matt Rossi goes after him/her. "Fear City" isn't violent enough, introduces too many irrelevant characters and contains one too many pointless sub plots. Good aspects include the gloomy soundtrack, the performance (and sensual dance acts) of Melanie Griffith, and the supportive roles of Rae Dawn Chong and Maria Conchita Alonso.

Silencio!

[JohnSeal · 4/10 · 16 May 2010]

Though Abel Ferrara's Fear City retains a little of the indie 'juice' associated with the director's best films, it's ultimately a failure. The major problems are leads Tom Berenger and Melanie Griffith, neither of whom bring much to the table. Berenger spends half the film driving around with a deadpan expression on his face (the same expression he displays throughout the entire film, actually) and the other half flashing back to his days as a prize fighter. Griffith's squeaky little girl voice is as fingernails on the chalkboard to me, and her love scenes with Berenger are simply unwatchable. That said, there's plenty of great location photography and some good supporting turns by Billy Dee Williams as detective Wheeler, Rosanno Brazzi as good fella Carmine, and Michael V. Gazzo as strip club operator Mike.

Decent thriller.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 21 January 2002]

A psycho killer is slashing beautiful strippers in New York.Tom Berenger tries to stop him!"Fear City" is pretty good,but it's obvious that scenes of violence were heavily cut.It's really a shame,I'd love to see an uncut version.The urban setting of New York and the whole story reminds me a little bit "Maniac"(1980)and "The New York Ripper"(1982).There's plenty of sleaze and tons of nudity(even Melanie Griffith is naked in a couple of scenes!).So if you like Abel Ferrara movies("Ms 45","Driller Killer")check out this vastly underrated film.

A decent diversion, though far from perfect.

[Svenstadt · 7/10 · 28 April 2021]

This movie has the flaw of taking itself way too seriously. I'm pleased to see Tom Berenger, as always. But the tone is incredibly serious and dark, even when the story diverts from the main plot. In that sense, it reminds me of "The Warriors." If nudity and nonstop misogyny and violence offend you, this is not for you. The picture is grainy and the visual shots are shoddy at best. I didn't care for Melanie Griffith's character. Let's just say this film was less annoying than most 80's action entries.

The New York Dolls.

[hitchcockthelegend · 4/10 · 4 September 2013]

Fear City is directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John. It stars Tom Berenger, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Scalia, Melanie Griffith, Rossano Brazzi, Rae Dawn Chong and Maria Conchita. Music is by Dick Halligan and cinematography by James Lemmo.

A serial killer with martial arts skills is targeting exotic dancers in the Manhattan district of New York. An angry cop and an ex-boxer with a vested interest in the girls' welfare vie for the scalp of the killer.

The visual backdrop of a neon lighted Manhattan adorned with sex and violence, a sort of urban nightmare, should have been the starting point for some Abel Ferrara class. Unfortunately what transpires is a derivative film of unimaginative dialogue, a weakly constructed plot and a sense that it's really a skin flick for young teenage boys learning about what makes them tingle.

The visual experience is rather ace, definitely, with Ferrara painting it as a neon drenched city of blood, sweat and tears, while the score thrums away like an 80s grim reaper determined to keep the story in the realm of darkly classic film noir. Hell! Even the flashback structure used for Berenger's troubled pugilist has a nice noirish kink to it, but everything else is a mess.

The narrative includes such unsubtle plot devices as bisexuality, drug abuse, guilt and even "reverse racism", but do any of these add up to anything approaching cinematic oomph? Hell no! And this is even before we get to the killer, who we see from the off but that's all we know about him. I mean he has a book called "Fear City" and he likes to do his martial arts in the nude, and he likes to cause considerable pain to his victims, but why? Could he just be some guy prancing about in readiness for a day of reckoning with Berenger's buffed up demon exorciser?

By the time Billy Dee Williams realises he is saddled with a script that just wants him to be politically incorrect instead of being a policeman of substance, the film has lost all sense of purpose or basic thriller means. We then cut to a twin training montage of Berenger and Naked Fear City Guy that just looks like a cheap knock-off from the Rocky Balboa franchise. Enter the big fight finale, where the brawn and pugilist guile of one man meets the oriental dexterity of another, which in principal should be exhilarating. Sadly the choreography, and direction, for Berenger's character during this denouement is very poor and firmly sounds the death knell on what is a huge disappointment of a movie.

The girls look great, Griffith especially, and Bereneger also is in fabulous shape. While the visual canvas is just about enough to entice the neo-noir faithful into taking a look, but really it's hard to believe this is from the same director of Ms. 45, King of New York and Bad Lieutenant, because yes! It is that poor and you would be far better served seeking out other 80s thrillers instead. As for Lando Calrissian? He is left wondering about life in a galaxy far far away...where for sure he at least was somebody. 4/10