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.
@Lary9
