City in Fear (1980) on Netflix
Vince Perrino, a burned-out columnist, is hired by publisher Harrison Crawford III to revive a small Los Angeles paper. Murders of young women begin, and Crawford wants them on page one.
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- Netflix3.2/5
- IMDb6.3/10268 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Plot summary
Wealthy publisher Harrison Crawford III buys a small Los Angeles paper and brings in columnist Vince Perrino to overhaul it. Perrino is a cynical, chain-smoking man who drinks heavily and is frustrated with the work. When young women are murdered in a string of killings across Los Angeles, Crawford tells Perrino to put the case on the front page, betting the coverage will sell papers. Detectives John Armstrong and Raymond Zavala of the LAPD are looking into the killings and have several suspects. The story is drawn in part from the Son of Sam murders and shows how a paper and television news stretch a local crisis to sell.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about City in Fear (1980)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- City in Fear came out of a conversation between William Goldman and Pete Masterson: Goldman came home to find his twelve-year-old daughter had tried to dye her hair because the real-life Son of Sam killer was said to be killing dark-haired women.
- Director Jud Taylor had his name removed from City in Fear after the producers filmed four more point-blank murders without asking him, saying he was offended.
- Linda Stewart, brought in to rewrite the script to bring it closer to the novel, also had her name removed when her changes were changed.
