Part of the inexplicable 80s trend of travelling over to Paris to shoot a movie, Frantic at least makes an effort to masquerade it all as a necessary plot point. It does make sense in a way as it makes the sudden disappearance of a surgeon’s wife and the resulting helplessness more relatable.

The movie starts off strong with a certain Hitchcockian touch to it, but that initial energy gradually dissipates, and when the second half of the movie starts it’s very difficult to care much about what happens in the end.

Although I realise that the desired effect has been the opposite, the decision to shoot in Paris makes the movie feel mundane and dull. Harrison Ford does a decent job here, but it’s still a far cry from his numerous memorable performances of the 80s.

80s-o-meter: 58%

Total: 59%