User reviews

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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. (**)

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].

Aside it was deeply beaten up by the critics I had found it pretty decent picture even it had appealing on those burlesque New York environment on the eighties, the leading role Tom Berenger and the gorgeous Melanie Griffith were the key of success, a flashy look on those filthy spots where all those costumers slobbering for those sexy acts on narrow stage.

However a man stolen the picture, yes the veteran actor Michael V. Gazzo as Mike owner of one those night club complaining all the time about his awful financial status after a serial killer at large mangling and those dancing girls, this print has the uncut version previously masterminded by Abel Ferrara also on forbidden Lesb.ian scene.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1991 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Abel Ferrara is known for making shocking films. But this one is more nihilistic than usual. It's the script's fault really... it's just so hopeless and unredeeming. Everyone is angry and desperate. No one learns their lesson or grows from their experiences.

It's well acted. Tom Berenger and Melanie Griffith look good and do the best they can with the material they're given. But they're unlikable. Everyone is unlikable here. It's so gritty and ugly.

The killer's identity is no mystery. We see his face early on and many times throughout the film. He loves to practice martial arts in front of a mirror. There are not many special effects, but when they are used, they are effective.

It's hard to know who to recommend this to... recommend it to someone if you want to ruin their day.

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.

Ferrera was Just Starting to be Noticed Following the Waves He Set in Motion with His "Artsy-Surreal-Violent" Pulp-Fiction..."Ms. 45" (1981)...

the Encore of His 1st Feature...The Less "Artsy", More Crude "The Driller Killer" (1979) where He Takes on the Titular Role, but After Pretty Much Left "Acting" to "Others".

Here Witness a "Nod" or a Capitulation to More Accessible Movie Producers and Audiences, but the "Maverick-Bad-Boy", Reluctantly or Not, was an Uncomfortable Fit for Such Pretensions.

His Films were "Born" on the Fringe of the "Big-Apple", and for the Most Part that's where He Stayed (at home), to Develop on His-Terms a Filmography that Steadily Found a "Cult" of "True Believers" in His Edgy, "Guerilla" or what Writer Hunter Thompson Called the "Gonzo" Approach to "Art" (few rules, a lot of improv and "Cinema Verite" style or method).

"Fear City" has a Neo(n)-Noir Template Focusing on the "Time-Square" of His Home-Town,

Specifically "Strip-Clubs", Strippers, and the Assorted "Misfits" and "Misanthropes" that Hang There. The Film had Many Times the Budget of His Previous "Shoe-Strings" and it Looks Fantastic.

But that's where the Accolades Start to Fade Fast.

The Acting, even from Tom Berrenger, Melanie Griffith, Billy Dee Williams and Other Familiar Faces from "Character" Actors is "Ripe" and Distracting.

The Story, Riding the "Slasher" Successes Trend, is OK with the "Serial-Killer" Manifesting Tropes such as "Psychotic and Narcissistic"...

(he keeps a Journal called..."Fear City" with the Cover Title Written in Blood)...

He is a "Martial Artists" Gone Over the Edge and is "Putting Mankind on a Different, more Pure Path, by Slaughtering those "Napalms of Sin"...Smut Peddlers and the Human Smut They Peddle.

"Fear City" is Ferrera Entering the "Real-World" of Movie-Making" and He has the "Chops" to Take Advantage of "Money" and "Talent" Allocated...

But One can Tell He is "Reverse-Slumming".

Making a Movie that Needed an OK from the "Suits" and while the Movie Does Have some Ferrera Moments,

Overall it Suffers from a "By-the-Numbers" "Playbook" Handed to a Writer-Director that Never Heard of a "Playbook"...

This is the Result...Abel Ferrara Playing by Another Man's Book. He Realized Quickly that His (In)Famy and Destiny was to Do Different.