Peur sur la ville
Tags: neo noir

Plot synopsis:
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.

Review: Skip through the special features on the DVD of Peter Yates Bullitt (1968) and you'll find an interesting featurette entitled Steve McQueen's Commitment to Reality; a promo made at the time of the film's production.
FACT: Next to French superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo's stunt work in Peur Sur La Ville, McQueen was merely dipping his little toe in a very deep pool!
Reality indeed!The action sequences in Peur Sur La Ville are nothing short of jaw dropping, even by the standards of movies today.
One chase sequence in particular has Belmondo pursuing a suspect up an interior stairwell, out through a window, across a series of rooftops whilst hanging onto various fascias and bits of guttering.
Once again on street level, a car-chase ensues, climaxing with Belmondo running atop a moving train!
This is undoubtedly one of the best examples of its kind ever committed to celluloid.Peur Sur La Ville would probably never have been conceived if it hadn't been for the aforementioned Bullitt or for that matter, William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971).For years, European critics sneered at American remakes/reworkings of classic foreign language films and held theirs heads high with the view that continental cinema was not only innovative, but actually set the trends for the Yanks to replicate.
However, Bullitt, French Connection and Don Siegel's Dirty Harry (1971) set the record straight once and for all; the anti-hero cop was as American as the hamburger.
However, Verneuil, a Turkish film-maker working in France managed to pull off a real coup with Peur Sur La Ville.
By making his film a hybrid of both polizier and giallo, it works on both levels and gives it the substance lacking from the Italian pictures.A diabolical killer calling himself Minos, is on the loose in Paris.
Minos taunts Latelier by sending a piece of his picture after each murder, in the view that the photograph will be complete when his work is done.As Paris' most unorthodox detective, Latelier gets sadistic pleasure from seeing his suspects squirming.
During one of the Sub-plots, Latelier refuses to call a critically wounded drug dealer an ambulance until he gets the information he is after, which echoes Eastwood's Callaghan in Dirty Harry.As much as Verneuil was influenced by the like of Siegel and Freidkin, Peur sur La Ville owes a huge debt to the films of Mario Bava.
The opening scene in which Minos taunts a victim on the phone, is reminiscent of The Telephone episode of Bava's anthology Black Sabbath (1963).Later during the aforementioned chase sequence, after crashing through the skylight, Latelier and Minos face off amongst the mannequins of a poorly lit store room; a nod to the Italian maestro's Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1969).Peur Sur La Ville features a wonderful music score by none other than Ennio Morricone.
The viewer has the choice of watching the film either in the original French language or in a dubbed English version.
Extra features are limited to the original theatrical trailer (in French), an interview with Verneuil (again in French) and a poster gallery.Peur Sur La Ville is one of the lost landmarks of action cinema but is also so much more.
"Peur sur la ville" is one of the best films for both Jean-Paul Belmondo and director Henri Verneuil.
At the time (1974-75) Belmondo is (with Alain Delon) the biggest French movie star -he's a versatile actor, but he is specialized in action movies where he can do his own stunts...
His artistic and physical exploits allow him to be the Number 1 at the French box office between 1970 and 1987.Henri Verneuil is too a versatile artist -in his long career he directs film of every genre, most of them are box office hits.
He works with the Top French film stars (Fernandel, Belmondo, Delon, Ventura, Gabin, ...).When the two men meet for this collaboration they are not novice artists and know exactly what they want.
A solid thriller ("un polar") in the best French tradition with drama, fear and action.
Efficacy of the movie depends on actors and their physical involvement.Belmondo, who is a mask of the French cinema, is really great.
"Fear Over The City"/"The Night Caller") of 1975 is a great and excellently made French Thriller with the great Jean-Paul Belmondo in the lead.
While this film was clearly inspired by American cult flicks, such as "Dirty Harry", "Bullit" or the "French Connection", and furthermore took its influence in early 70s Italian Gialli and Poliziotteschi, it remains very French and quite original.
The story may not be the most original ever, but the way it is executed, the brilliant photography and director Henry Verneuil's great sense for stylistic tricks give this an immense originality.
Commisaire Jean Lettelier played by Belmondo is the French equivalent to Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry and the tough coppers of Italian cinema played by actors like Maurizio Merli and Henry Silva.
While the cop played by Bebel is an unorthodox tough guy like his American and Italian counterparts, he is also a typically French macho, talkative, chain-smoking and always wearing elegant clothes.
This is a a French/Italian co-production, and while its characters and mood are very French, it uses many elements of contemporary Italian genre-cinema.Comissaire Jean Lettelier (Belmondo) is a tough Paris cop, who is in desperate search for a gangster named Marnucci, who has once shot a civilian while escaping from Letellier after a bank robbery.
A psychopathic killer who calls himself Minos terrorizes the French capital, murdering women whom he considers morally reprehensible...
Both the action- and the suspense-sequences are photographed brilliantly, in supreme camera angles and using great visual gimmicks (I won't spoil anything by giving examples).
Apart from great suspense and action, a brilliant visual style, and a great leading performance and supporting cast, the film profits from an ingenious score.
All things considered "Peur Sur La Ville" is a tantalizing and great Thriller that no fan of 70s cinema should miss.
JP Belmondo Chases Killers Across Paris.
Jean Paul Belmondo and his associate, Charles Denner, play tough cops after two killers in "Fear Over the City." Although not listed in the credits, the city of Paris plays a major supporting role.
One killer, Marcucci, is a bank robber Belmondo's character is after for killing a fellow cop during an auto chase.
At one point later in the picture, Belmondo is on the roof of a Paris Metro car above ground as it goes though Paris, with the cop killer inside the train.
The viewer gets a chance to see the city sights as the train zips along.The second killer, who uses the name "Minos," wants to rid the world of sexual immorality by targeting women he finds objectionable.
Belmondo gets into a gunfight with Minos while on the sloping roof of a store, apparently the Galleries Lafayette.
Director Verneuil does a great job of adding thrills as Belmondo slips on the sloping roof several times, almost falling off, all the while shooting it out with Minos.
The pursuit of Minos after the roof fight leads to a chase through Paris, past the Eiffel Tower and through downtown streets, Belmondo's police car after Minos, on a motorcycle.In this movie Belmondo gets a chance to play a real tough cop, one who shoots back at a suspect, hitting him, and then ignores him as he asks for an ambulance.
Belmondo's bell bottom pants have dated, but not that basement scene nor the professionalism the cast and crew bring to this movie..
As for the music made by Ennio Morricone, it works great with the movie (for instance the sequence in which Minos (the killer) is tracked up to the Galeries Lafayette's attic by the Comissaire Letellier (J.P. Belmondo) is thrilling partly because of the music and the ambiance).
Notice the bit of humor when we can hear as Belmondo chase the killer in the Galeries Lafayette, the woman's voice of the advertising that says in French "there is always something happening in the Galeries Lafayette".
As I said, it is a fast-paced movie, it also has a lot of action and Belmondo uses it to show his athletic skills, not using a stuntman to do the job.
Belmondo is great as the bad-ass cop with a cynical sense of humor.I recommend you to check this movie out while keeping in mind that it looks old and there are some awkward moments due to its date of release (guns sounds like firecrackers)..
the best french action movie.
The stunts are incredible(belmondo=keaton and Jackie Chan)specially the chase on the subway.The Veber's dialogues are very punchy.
This French movie by crime and action movie director Henri Verneuil presents Jean-Paul Belmondo at his best!
He plays a Clint-Eastwood-like hard boiled detective in Paris, chasing a mentally disturbed serial killer who's already killed several women.
Belmondo is acting in his usual style, with less words than action and some witty remarks for every scene.
Next to some scary murders and a disturbing one-eyed killer, the highlight of this movie is a 15-minute chase which starts on a house's roof and is continued by bike, cars and a thrilling subway stunt sequence, all filmed as good as well-known chase scenes like "Bullitt", "French Connection" or "Speed".
If you like dark serial killer action, hard-boiled guys and breath-taking action sequences, watch this cool 1975 movie!.
Henri Verneuil's film is really not what I was expecting it to be at all; it's actually a lot more than just a film about cops hunting a vicious psychopath and while not everything about the film works, what does work works brilliantly and this is certainly among the best European crime thrillers of the 1970's.
The plot simply focuses on an unknown serial killer that targets loose women in Paris by way of phone calls and later murder.
Commissioner Jean Letellier and Inspector Moissac are put on the case and have to go through the Parisian underworld before coming close to catching the killer and discovering his insane reason for murdering the women of Paris.The thing that really makes this film stand out is the leading performances courtesy of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Charles Denner.
The pair fit into their roles excellently individually and have a great chemistry also, which director Henri Verneuil is keen to exploit as much as possible as the two actors provide the film with most of its best moments and also deliver some comedy.
The film is not overly gory and the focus is never on the murders; although there are a few featured and the way that the director focuses on the killer's black gloves is a nice nod towards Giallo.
The film features many of the crime film staples such as car chases and shootouts; a sequence that sees the main protagonist chase the killer in the middle of the film is excellently staged and very thrilling.
The film changes pace many times throughout but the director always manages to keep things interesting.
"Fear Over The City" is one of those films that invented what later became known as the clichés of the "serial-killer thriller" subgenre.
The structure of the film is almost experimental, with a chase sequence in the middle that goes on for about 30 minutes, and an entire subplot (about a bank robber who killed Belmondo's previous partner) that is little more than a mere distraction.
Belmondo is good as the cynical, hard-as-nails cop, and yes, he does perform some stunts in this movie that are worthy of Jackie Chan at his finest.
The US delivered a couple of brilliant milestones in the genre (like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection"), Italy is probably world record holder with all their masterful "Poliziotteschi" classics, and also France proudly owns a handful of goodies.
Henri Verneuil's "Peur sur la Ville" is a prototypic 70's cop thriller, and this definition basically translates into: high adrenalin action from start to finish, straightforward but tense plot lines, cool cops, nightmarish criminals, sharp dialogs, pitch-black humor and an awesome soundtrack!
J-P Belmondo is absolutely terrific as the dry and sarcastic Commissioner Letellier, charged with the case of a misogynic killer who menaces his victims via the phone prior to actually strangling them.
"Peur sur la Ville" features many recurring highlights, like the many sardonic interactions between Commissioner Letellier and his partner Moissac, but of course the most obvious aspect to worship here is the action.
Belmondo literally bounces around Paris, from the rooftops of apartment buildings to all the way down in the subway network.
Nearly forty years later now, films like "Peur sur la Ville" may indeed come across as somewhat dated and overly clichéd, but it's still tremendously exhilarating and entertaining.
The climax is tense, albeit a bit tedious and overly stretched, and you won't notice for a second that this is actually quite long for an action/thriller (+120min).
Seriously he's dangling out helicopters...jumping around from rooftop to rooftop...riding the top of a speeding subway train trying to get a jump on one of the bad guys who thought he escaped (that scene was SO ripped off or paid homage to by the climatic scene in SPEED--i mean its very similar---Bellmondo even ducks the signal red light that whizzes by just like Keeanu at the end of Speed---its pretty awesome) All while trying to apprehend a serial killer who's going' around killing women and taunting him while doing so.
The plot couldn't be more basic or more been there seen that---and yet the very kick ass action sequences--which were completely shot naturally--(i know this was made in the 70's but even then--doing stuff like this without stunt doubles or insurance claims or some trick photography--etc---was not as common as the awesome films from that era including French Connection and The Seven -Ups would have you believe) make it worth seeing.Um i like the way the killer kills a woman while she's grinding coffee grounds in one scene and coffee beans are everywhere when Bellmundo gets there to explore what's happened...also the sequence at the end where bellmendo realizes that the guy in front of him is the killer--blah, blah, blah.
This movie has 3 super-heavy guys, 3 sacred monsters of the 7th Art: Jean-Paul Belmondo (in the role of Commissioner Letellier and producer of the film), Henri Verneuil (director and author of the screenplay) and Ennio Morricone (who doesn't needs no other specification, he is the one guilty of that obsessive piano accompanied by an even more obsessively whistle).
It is a high class action film, Belmondo makes one of his best roles, plus all his stunts, as usual(exceptional scenes on the Galeries Lafayette store rooftop, above the subway running after Marcucci and the spectacular descent from the helicopter) (must be remembered as stuntmen also those 2 legends called Claude Carliez and Rémy Julienne, plus a Romanian stunt, Dan Vieru) (Claude Carliez also directed one movie, another great thriller, made in 1969, with Jean Marais, "Diamond Rush"Le Paria-original title).
Another great French actor, Charles Denner, is Belmondo's police colleague, inspector Moissac.
The Italian actor Adalberto Maria Merli makes a special role as Pierre Valdeck, alias the psychopath Minos.
Henri Verneuil is a great French director, who also made masterpieces like "The 25th Hour"(1967) (with the great Anthony Quinn in the role of a Romanian peasant), "The Sicilian Clan"(1969), with Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Jean Gabin, "The Burglars"(1971), with Jean-Paul Belmondo again and Omar Sharif, "The Serpent"(1973), with Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda and Dirk Bogarde (you can notice that he worked only with great great actors).
Belmondo is his old >tough-guy self, though one might like hime more when he plays >his spunky Parisian self in a more humorous way.
At the time, >this kind of movie made lots and lots of money at the box-office >; now they don't do 'em anymore and complains about the lack of >box-office appeals for French films at the local box-office go >figure.
However, the real strength of the film really lies in its visual power in terms of having really well crafted scenes with an excellent composition.
From that point of view Peur sur la Cite is certainly one of the better films Belmondo made in the 70s/80s.
That in itself makes the film worth watching..
So, way before the end of the 60, the french new wave was, in its original core, worn out.
But remarkably, we have a trend of action films which are really worth watching.
So this film is a very curious, and interesting product, a product born from the symbiotic relation between American and french trends.
Belmondo is the heritage of the original nouvelle vague, even in his (actually awkward) characterization (the cigarette, the hard boiled posture), as well as the cinematic explicit quoting; right at the beginning, the Jean Gabin bit.
So Minos is a one eyed fellow, who actually gets tracked down when Belmondo proves the glass eye connection.
The trick is to extend the chasing sequences as long as we can, changing sets, changing locomotion medium (foot on roofs, cars in the city, subway/train).
It's really good fun to watch, and it makes it on a visual way.
The killer grabs a motorcycle, Belmondo and his partner start the chase in the car.
Two other cops follow him while Belmondo still chases the killer.
The interesting thing here is how, if you know your Paris, you'll understand through the lines that both chases are close one to the other.
So you'll know why at a certain moment Belmondo gives up on the killer to start pursuing his personal vendetta.
we have a little bit more of car chase to connect us to the new chased subject, and we get into the subway.
Belmondo on the train, tunnels, he gets in, he shoots the guy.
This sequence was clearly aiming at the similar car chase of French Connection.
Great action scenes.
Great action scenes Fast moving French Dirty Harry Movie.
Great chase scenes, people getting shot, car, roof top, motorcycle, train.
The killer should have been killed.Excellent B Movie.