Fear Over the City
7 /10 1 Votes
Edited by Pierre Gillette Produced by Jacques Juranville | 7/10 IMDb Initial release 9 April 1975 Music director Ennio Morricone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Written by Henri VerneuilJean LabordeFrancis Veber Based on original story by Verneuil Cast Similar Directed by Henri Verneuil, Jean-Paul Belmondo movies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
france 1975 ennio morricone fear over the city
Fear Over the City (also known as Peur sur la ville) is a 1975 French crime film directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Jean Paul Belmondo. It was the first time Belmondo played a police officer.
Contents
It was released in the USA as The Night Caller.
Plot
Policeman Jean Letellier is under pressure because the infamous gangster Marcucci escaped from him publicly. Moreover during the pursuit an innocent bystander was killed by a stray bullet. Letellier is investigated for having fired the deadly bullet.
Before Letellier is cleared, a serial killer begins to murder young women, each time leaving a weird message at the site of crime. He calls himself "Minos", referring to the Divine Comedy. The murderer always declares he had punished his victims for what he considers their impure life style.
While Letellier still has no trace of "Minos", he comes across Marcucci's current whereabouts. Just as before, Marcucci tries to escape in a spectacular manner when Letellier confronts him. But this time Marcucci dies in the course of action.
Marcucci's death is no relief for Letellier who is now publicly accused of having neglected the "Minos" case in favour of settling his personal feud with his late archenemy.
"Minos" keeps on murdering and leaving provoking hints until Letellier can identify him. The serial killer can only scarcely elude Letellier, who chases him over the roofs of Paris. His next coup is to take hostages in a skyscraper. Letellier decides he has had it and goes airborne. From a flying helicopter he jumps through the window into the flat and puts "Minos" down.
Cast
Reception
The film was the second most popular film at the French box office in 1975, after The Towering Inferno. It was Belmondo's most popular movie since Le Casse (1972). It was also popular in Italy and Germany.
It was released in the USA as The Night Caller.
The New York Times said "it seems to be two completely different movies, neither of them up to much." The Los Angeles Times thought the action sequences "keep an otherwise routine film entertaining."