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.

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.

Frankie ‘The Fly' (Dennis Hopper) has decided he had enough that everyone calls him ‘The Fly' since the day Sal (Michael Madsen), his boss, humiliated the porn actress he's in love with. At the same time, Sal blinds Joey (Kiefer Sutherland) in one eye, a small porn films director who's tried to rip Sal off. Afterwards Frankie asks Joey to film him killing Sal, in order to be avenged and by the same way make a good «snuff movie»…

The screenplay of this excellent movie («Frankie», not the snuff !), indeed quite more tricky than this brief summary, don't miss to be striking and reminds us Gary Felder's cruelty in «Things to do in Denver when you're dead», or even the gangsters little stories in «Pulp Fiction». You must see Frankie now playing it «cool-styled» with his sunglasses, his three-piece suit and his sports car, now being totally old-fashioned when he bluntly barks at his car parker because he's driving too fast.

But besides, Frankie is an engaging character. He can fairly well talk to girls but he's rather wimpy when Sal or one of his henchmen totally ticks him off !

Michael Madsen («Kill me Again» ; «Reservoir dogs») takes himself very seriously in his little mafioso part. I enjoyed one of my favorite actors once again ! For once, Kiefer Sutherland doesn't play a too twisted character like in «Freeway» or «Truth or Consequences, N.M.». As for Dennis Hopper, he has already become a legend since «Easy Rider» and later, «Blue Velvet» and `Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'…

The dialogs have got a black sense of humor and even sometimes a particular subtlety. I just love the original soundtrack, the songs fit very well to the sequences. So, I recommend this terrific movie to crime films and black humor fans.

Casually violent "crime comedy" about a verbally abused small-time "errand man" who decides he can't take it anymore, and plots an elaborate revenge against his boss, a sadistic gangster. Michael Madsen does what he does best (looking cool and being baaaaad) and Kiefer Sutherland is amusing as a desperate porn director, but Dennis Hopper is fatally miscast as the criminal with a heart of gold: hey, casting director, Hopper never begs for respect - he demands it, and makes life miserable for anyone who doesn't play along. The film is not without its moments, but the story (low-lifes looking to "get out" and "start over") is one big cliche from start to finish. (**)

There are a lot of good things, and some bad things about this film. Let's look at the good things first: Dennis Hopper can do anything and was a great actor. He carries this off as well as anyone else cast in this role could have. Hannah is very good and convincing as a hooker; she seemed to really enjoy her role, which is important for an actor to do. Madsen is very good as well, as is the supporting cast. The story of a lifetime loser turning into a sharpie at the end really stretches real street life credibility, but then again, so did Tarrentino, and if he could do it, why not a legitimate entertainer like Hopper? I knew a guy just like this in Union City who was a bookie. He is deceased now, but he let lots of guys off the hook because he was a bit of a softie. Frankie is a guy like that. I enjoyed the film, and I am kind of picky about gangster flicks. They have to be different to keep my interest (like The Departed, and Goodfellas). This film is not as good as those, but it is better than most of the crap passing for street films these days.