The Last Days of Frankie the Fly (1996) Reviews

• Empathy and virtue triumph again!

  Lary92000-05-30

  OK so this one was a rather pedestrian quasi-knock-off...and maybe the characters were a touch low key. Yet, oddly I found myself watching this one for a second time. Why? It could be because I have been a Dennis Hopper fan since 'Easy Rider' and I feel like I've been growing up with him ever since. (Our long lost brother Peter Fonda, having only shown up recently,dropped out of sight and missed our formative years.) But I digress. I confess to being a fan of Michael Madsen as well...and I date that awareness back to his horrifically twisted Funky Chicken while slicing and dicing and immolating the cop to the tune "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 'Resevoir Dogs'. Nobody does "watch-out-I'm-crazy" like Michael Madsen! Darryl Hannah was competent but replaceable with any SAG journeyman but is to be commended for the choice of role. Kiefer Sutherland is Kiefer Sutherland...have you noticed ever since 'Freeway' he has a penchant for having his facial parts removed? This film is about Frankie and his contradictory little ways. Frankie the Fly is an empathetic wise guy and the film plays off against these two poles. Oddly, the message is that empathy is strength. Hopper plays him well and we are all rescued in the end. I have always liked movies about the seamier side of human social discourse...the side with pool rooms, gambling addictions, hookers,and guns without permits. ( Is Dennis Hopper the King of the Seamier Side or what? I envision him as a Jedi Knight with a pool cue and a Camel in transition to the Dark Side.) I am drawn to these flirtations with the street life like a moth to flame. If you are to, this movie could be fun for you too.

• "Why you call him a fly? Cause flies eat sh...t!!"

  pzivojinovic2016-07-22

  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.

• Story of a revolt on 60's music background.

  Cescotto2002-08-28

  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.

• Pleasantly surprised

  jennymcclintock-12007-03-26

  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.

• why frankie the fly doesn't fly

  mr pink1998-09-24

  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