139) Fear City (1984)

139) Fear City (1984) Dir: Abel Ferrara Date Released: February 16, 1985 Date Seen: May 12, 2012 Rating: 3.25/5

Didn't really care for the film's generic plot, which is understandable since the film is, according to Ferrara and Brad Stevens's Abel Ferrara: The Moral Vision, a compromised work. But the atmosphere and the way Ferrara visualizes this film's world--nice. There's a lot of wasted potential here. I just sort of enjoyed soaking up the movie's seedy ambience. One image that's semi-seared into my brain is of a stripper dancing in front of a shimmering blue curtain. It's surreal how vividly I can recall the curtain but I can only remember a faint outline of a woman in a state of undress in front of said curtain. The rest is a blur.