Fear City (1984) on Netflix
Matt Rossi and Nicky Parzeno book Manhattan exotic dancers into clubs across the borough. An attacker beats and mutilates one of their clients. Detective Al Wheeler takes the case.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb5.8/105,291 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes69%
Trailer
Plot summary
A knife attacker is stalking Manhattan's exotic dancers, women booked into clubs by Matt Rossi and his partner, Nicky Parzeno. Rossi, a former boxer, once dated their top client, Loretta, until he accidentally killed an opponent in the ring and the memory of it ended things. Loretta still cares for him, but she has moved on to a relationship with another dancer, Leila. One night a dancer named Honey is beaten and mutilated, and Rossi and Nicky suspect rival promoter Lou Goldstein, who denies involvement. Vice Detective Al Wheeler takes the case and treats Rossi and his colleagues with contempt, sure they know more than they admit. After Leila is attacked and hospitalized, the dancers refuse to work, and mob bosses press Rossi to act.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Fear City (1984)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Fear City was originally set to be distributed by 20th Century Fox, which would have made it Abel Ferrara's first film for a major studio. Fox had a two-picture deal with producer Bruce Cohn Curtis but refused to release it without significant cuts; even then it scored poorly at test screenings and Fox dropped it.
- Ferrara described the film as a disappointment and claimed its failure nearly ended his directing career, until he was hired by Michael Mann to direct episodes of Miami Vice.
- The MPAA gave Ferrara's initial cut an X rating, and he had to make extensive edits to trim down the amount of violence and nudity.
