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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.
score 7/10
BA_Harrison 9 June 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3726969/ |
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23-3-2021 18:06:30