That said, for the purposes of this blog, the only thing actually wrong with *Frantic* is its title. That, and the fact that it clearly attracted three of the wrong viewers.

Perhaps the casting was a bit off too. Richard Walker is a man who is inexperienced with physical danger, hampered by shock and struggling to think what to do next. Having him played by action hero H. Ford is a perversity too far. It teases our expectations of what we’re not going to get.

Likewise the title. *Frantic* is actually one of Polanski’s nightmare pictures, like *Repulsion* and *The Tenant*. Its glutinous pace conveys the sense, all too familiar in our civilisation, of being helpless in the face of emergency, unable to get anyone to rescue us. The villains are elusive, almost faceless, because it’s rarely clear whose side they’re on, or what they really want, apart from the McGuffin.

Well, at least I know what Evan Derrick is going to give us. And while I wish him the best of luck – I see he has turned 30 now – I expect I’ll pass. I feel I’ve seen it countless times already. Clearly I’m not Derrick’s audience, just as he’s not Polanski’s.