Just what I expected

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

I watched this film on a channel called Epix Drive In. This is a channel that usually has some really bad B movies. This film is almost worthy of an Oscar after one has sat through a film called Dinosaur Island which came on before this one did. Still, it is not a very good movie...it almost had something as it has a pretty good cast, a workable story and other nice factors, but it squanders it by having one too many plot holes and what the heck is going on here moments.The story has a killer on the loose killing strippers. At first he seems to only be targeting a guy and his buddy's ladies. These two buds manage the ladies and the mob is involved and a cop who cannot seem to track this killer down shows up and occasionally cusses before disappearing again. Why is the killer doing what he is doing? I am not sure, seems he is a vigilante who is into martial arts who wants to clean up the city and write a book or something about his exploits. Suffice to say he really is not developed as most of the movie focuses on a former boxer with a past who has a thing for a stripper who becomes completely forgotten for a long stretch of this film until the ending.Tom Berenger stars as the former boxer, Billy Dee Williams as a cop who can call an Italian everything in the book, but can't find a killer who strikes at the same places and Melanie Griffith plays a stripper who seems integral to the plot then forgotten for a spell. The film had some interesting points, but there are just a few too many flaws in this one to call it good. How to best summarize this film? It can probably be summed up as Rocky versus a martial artist.

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.

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.

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.