FEAR CITY

US, 1984, 96 minutes, Colour.
Tom Berenger, Billy D. Williams, Rae Dawn Chong, Melanie Griffith, Maria Conchita Alonso, Rossano Brazzi.
Directed by Abel Ferrara.

Fear City is a thriller that looks at the sleazy side of New York City, especially 42nd Street and the striptease joints. It has an ugly fascination about it. The film was directed by Abel Ferrarra, something of a cult director with his interest in the seamier side of life and his straightforward dramatic presentations: MS 45, The Gladiator, China Girl.

This film would make a B Budget crime thriller but for the fact of its extraordinary cast led by Tom Berenger. It includes Melanie Griffith as a stripper, also Rae Dawn Chong. Billy D. Williams is a police officer and Rossano Brazzi is the Mafia Don. Maria Conchetta Alonzo appears in a supporting role billed as Maria Conchetta. There is an amount of violence as a martial arts expert becomes obsessed with the girls in the clubs and systematically maims or kills them. There is a police investigation. There is the pressure on the Mafia connections who run the agencies for supplying girls to the strip joints. There is also quite a deal of striptease dancing for the audience. In some ways the film is exploitive of the material it probes.

1. New York thriller? The sleazy world of 42nd street and Times Square? Striptease joints? The Mafia? Violence?

2. The New York locations, authentic filming in the streets? The atmosphere of the world of New York? Musical score, for the strip joints, background songs? Atmosphere?

3. The title, the focus on this part of New York? The killer and his diary and Fear City as its title?

4. Matti and his work with Nicky? The Mafia background? The link with the Don? The clash with the Jewish exploiters on the other side of New York? His memories as a child, with the Mafiosi, cleaning the shoes, the assassinations in the street? His own loyalties? His boxing career, his strength, killing the man in the ring, his attitude towards the referee, for allowing it, his retirement, the newspapers, the memories? His dealing with the girls? The sleazy side of his work? The visit to the joints, to Mike and the standover tactics? Loretta, the break with her, seeing her with the reconciliation? The pressure of the murders, the work for the money? His love for
the Lesbian dancer? His approach, the clash with Al and the police? His own investigations? The search for the murderer? The audience with the Don? The threats to the Jewish managers? The disappearance of Loretta? His memory of his boxing, training to confront the killer? The rescue of Loretta, the final fight, the memories of his boxing match? His boxing with the killer’s martial arts? How sympathetic as central character, how repellent?

5. Nicky, the suave partner, sharing the work with Matti? His business sense? His girlfriend? The police? Standover tactics? The killer and his effect, concern about the girls, plans? The attack on him, hospital?

6. Loretta, the dancing, drugs, the liaison with the lesbian dancer, her grief at the attack, visiting her in hospital? Love for Matti? Her fear to go dancing? The drugs? The deal, the attack on her, the reconciliation?

7. The dancers, their background, the ogling men? Loretta and the need for money? The lesbian dancer and her despising men? Nicky's girlfriend? The luring of the men? The agency and handling the women?

8. The police, Al and his partner, disgust at vice? Threatening to close the joints down? Standover tactics? The investigations, suspicions of mob violence? Tracking
down the killer?

9. Mike and his managing the strip joint, money, ringing the agency? The janitor and his support of Matti and Nicky? The ordinary side of this exploitive business? The clients, the rien in the clubs? Their behaviour with the women? Sexual behaviour? The architect suspected of being the killer, Matti and his violence and the throwing the man out?

10. The killer, the precision of his attacks, the violence and self-satisfaction, writing in his diary, strengthening his body, the martial arts training? The detail in the diary, his motivation? The confrontation with Loretta, the fight with Matti? His death?

11. How authentic a look behind the scenes of New York City? The work of the police? People involved in exploitation? How exploitative the film?