Roman Poooolanski. It’s been awhile. Can’t say I thought much about this one since seeing it in the theater when it first came out. Was on a little Polanski binge right about then, and after watching The Fearless Vampire Killers while on substances that may or may not have been legal at the time, I can honestly say that one is still one of my favorite horror comedies. It’s not quite up there with An American Werewolf in London and Evil Dead II, but close. Plus, pre-Emily Blunt eye-opener Sharon Tate. Truly fuckin tragic, that. This one? It’s like his other more serious endeavors, with a moment or two of cheekiness thrown in for good measure.
Plot: Satanic Book Detective. You’re welcome. Well, he’s not usually going after Satanic books persay, this job just makes it a bit more interesting. Fortunately there’s enough intrigue and oddities to keep the suspense angle juiced up just enough to ride it to the end.
Polanski is a bit of a interesting bird, in his own right. I don’t know the guy, so I’ll stick to his moviemakins. Bit of a break after Chinatown, for whatever reasons. But Frantic? One of the few movies I think Harrison Ford was actually decent in. Well, at least starred in, that didn’t involve a whip or a wookie. Here is an Interesting story, even if it does revolve around said book detective Corso (Depp). Serious dramas there to mine, in book detectivins. Well documented as Corso’s search goes on. The ending? The ending is a little messed up. I kinda put this one out of my head for 25-ish years, and after seeing it again, I’m like, yeah, that ending is still a little messed up! Depp is ok in this. Frank Langella is decent as the Dollar General Christopher Lee. The ‘twins’ book guys in Spain make for a good scene. The ending? It’s...contemplative. It definitely leaves you with a decent lingering question. Unfortunately, time and beers has not made me any wiser in ascertaining exactly what the hell it meant, but that’s definitely part of the mysterious maybe slightly Satanic charm here.
