The Last Days of Frankie the Fly

I rented this after finding out that it was written by Dayton Callie, who plays Charlie Utter, my favorite character in David Milch's superb HBO series Deadwood. I wasn't sure what to expect, since I had never heard of the film...and after the first 10 minutes I thought I was going to hate it. It started out rather slowly and the dialog seemed a little stiff. However, I stuck with it and was glad I did! The story is really kind of sweet and well-written.

Dennis Hopper plays bullied mob flunky, Frankie, who is nicknamed "The Fly" because, as hit-man Vic (played by Dayton Callie) teases, "Flys eat sh*t!" And it appears likely that Frankie would do just that if told to do so by local wise-guy boss Sal (Madsen) -- Sal is a sadistic madman who keep his enemies' severed testicles in mason jars. Frankie seems to be almost happy with his sheepish role, until he falls for a porn actress and reformed junkie, Margaret (Darryl Hannah) and his life changes forever.

So, rent this sweet and quirky film and see for yourself what happens as Frankie seeks to change his "fly" image for the girl he loves.

This movie definitely got the blues. I was really pleased by the sophisticated balance of humour and tragedy, not quite common for a Hollywood Film. Except the last minutes, that's where Hollywood returns, always the game err the same - what a pity. Do yourself a favour and switch it off when the girl sits in front of the TV. Then it's an 8 out of 10.

The Last Days of Frankie the Fly is at best watchable. I watched it because the box described it as a crime movie in the style fo Pulp Fiction, a style I'm very fond of. This film failed to live up to its billing. It was very unPulp Fiction. The story line to Frankie was drab and lacking depth, the characters were unoriginal and uninteresting. They fail to develop anyone beyond the fact they are either protagonist or antagonist. Keifer Sutherland's character is the only that has any inspiration to it, the rest are acted blandly. However I can't blame the actors and actress for this, they did thier best with this cheap knock off script. It's no wonder to me why it went straight to video. Even with this all star cast the story is becoming so common and had nothing to set it apart from the rest and would have failed terribly in theatres. I'd only recommend this to someone who is a fan of one of the stars or film-makers....3.5 outta 10 on my scale.

mr pink

This is a little off-beat gem as it deals with all of the dark issues about the mob but never in a heart attack manner. It is a comedy & to my mind better written that a lot of them. A good cast plus a good plot equals a better than you think movie. Dennis Hopper delivers one of his most effective performances in this made for video film. This isn't the Godfather or Thief. It is the Godfather on gas. A funny quirky story, with a bit of heart in it. Think of a more serious 8 Heads in a Duffle Bag. So it's not exactly noir per se, but on the other hand it's decent. Hopper falls in love with Hannah, who's a lot more intelligent than the typical porn actress, constantly berated by Sutherland, who's a gambling addict, in hock to Sal (Madsen) to the tune of more than 100 G's. Hopper agrees to place some bets for Sutherland at the track provided that Hopper can write and direct a film for Hannah. Sal complicates things by being brutal and nasty, ably abetted by his henchman Vic, played by Damon Callie, who also wrote the script. OK, sure, this is not a cinematic masterpiece. The most fun is watching the four leads do their thing; especially in the early part of the film, Sutherland is hilarious with his rapid fire sarcastic jabs.

The performances are what saves the film. Madsen actually acts rather than rely on tough guy bravado, Sutherland overacts shamelessly but is still entertaining, Hannah makes Margaret sympathetic and she looks great dolled up as Bettie Page. This is Hopper's movie though and he's excellent. For years he's made crap films that demand nothing more of him than to redo his crazy 'Blue Velvet' performance but here he plays it scared and sensitive. It's a very impressive performance. A must see for Hopper fans and worth a look for fans of Hannah, Madsen, or Sutherland.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Contrary to what others have posted I quite liked this film. I felt there were some cute twists, turns and surprise moments that made me keep watching. Dennis Hopper had a great part but I felt Kiefer Sutherland's role didn't grow at all. I thought the surprise ending worked well. I rate it much higher that the current films (Sep00) I am seeing at the moment.