Bad Frank (2017)

Worst movie I have ever seen!! Slow !! Terrible actors and the story was worse!!! Please never make a movie again. That was a waste of time and money ... the 1 dollar I spent a red box. I should've just lit the dollar on fire.

Despite my middling grade of C, I was very impressed with "Bad Frank". After all, the film was very quickly made and only cost a paltry $80,000!! It is clearly a great example of getting a lot for very little…something many filmmakers could stand to learn. When the film begins, Frank is a highly stressed but happy guy. He has a very beautiful wife, a job and life is good. However, there also are signs that Frank is on the edge…and he could easily be pushed over it. To make matters worse, he's been prescribed something, presumably for his anger, and the doctor's office is giving him crap about when he can see the doctor. He wants to see the doctor now…the receptionist isn't about to make an exception… even if he's now out of meds. In the midst of this tense situation, Frank and a friend of his witness a brutal multiple murder committed by Frank's old 'buddies'….and soon they make it very clear that unless Frank keeps his mouth shut he's a dead man. And, to make this clear, they kidnap his innocent wife…sending Frank on a binge of ultra-violent behavior.I liked the acting and direction in this picture. For $80,000, it should have been horrible but wasn't. The story was also reminiscent of "Taken" but had enough different about it to make it worth seeing… for some people. This is where the problem is…the film is incredibly violent and features a bit of sexual violence as well… and at times was hard to watch. Plus, unlike what I expected, by the end of the film Frank was pretty much a monster as well and it was hard to root for anyone. It's certainly not a picture to show your kids, your mother or Father O'Malley if he happens to stop by for a visit. But, in spite of this, I cannot help but admire the filmmakers for what they achieved.

With a wild set of mood swings, the character Frank Pierce moves from being a committed recovering alcoholic to a monstrous force of nature in a heartbeat. There is a defining scene early in the film when Frank is hammering in his yard. The pace builds along with Frank's blood pressure and intensity. Suddenly, he inflicts an intentionally hurtful blow of the hammer on his hand. The balance of the film is a tug-of-war between Good Frank and Bad Frank.The plotting of this film was contrived with a potboiler story of how Frank is drawn back in to the world of crime and violence. We slowly learn the history of Bad Frank's rage attacks, which landed him in trouble with the military and necessitated intervention from his father, who was a police chief.But Frank also proved to be a loyal friend to the shady underworld figure, Mickey Duro (Tom Sizemore). Frank refused to rat out Frank and spent time in prison on behalf of his old buddy. As the film begins, Frank has rebuilt his life with a woman whom he met in his recovery group. Curiously, however, Frank does not request a refill of his meds. That is the fateful starting point for his decline.Frank uses poor judgment is agreeing to meet with an old chum named Travis Lugar. The result of the meeting is an ugly drug deal with Mickey Duro killing the two drug suppliers in cold blood. Frank tries to do the right thing by reporting the incident to the authorities. Mickey retaliates by kidnapping Frank's wife. In turn, Frank kidnaps Mickey's daughter. It is with this double hostage situation that the film begins to unravel.MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS: When Frank and Mickey decide to put their differences aside and exchange their loved ones who have been kidnapped, the most shocking moment is when Frank chooses to kill Mickey's daughter in full view of the father. This gratuitous act of violence puts a completely new spin on the depth to which "Good Frank" could become "Bad Frank." Moreover, it was unclear why Frank would not untie the ropes binding his wife Gina as he drove away from the crime scene. Another entirely confusing moment was the scene that occurred in Frank's home when his father was confronted by Niko, a hooligan who was the minion of Mickey. Clearly a struggle between the two men had occurred. But we never see the actual struggle or definitively learn the outcome. For the careful viewer, it is clear that the father was wounded, but was not dead. He was still breathing as he was seated in the chair in Frank's home! What this shoddy filmmaking? Or, was the scene intentionally ambiguous? END SPOILERS.There were too many loose ends and far-fetched scenes in this motion picture. The strength of the film is in the development of the complex personality in Frank Pierce. Kevin Interdonato turned in an excellent performance in this deeply troubled and conflicted character. The supporting cast was also good. If one overlooks the the plot holes and focuses on characters, the film was above average as a character study.

Frank (Kevin Interdonato) is a recovering alcoholic who has burned a lot of bridges. He has a bad reputation well deserved, although at this early stage he appears wimpy. His wife Gina (Amanda Clayton) is supportive. While helping a friend (Brandon Heitkamp) he runs into an old acquaintance Mickey Duro (Ted Sizemore) and the film finally stops limping along and takes off with killing and torture.The film starts out slow and picks up to be a decent crime thriller with some personal drama and a small twist that had clues. Neatly done.Guide: F-word, sex, and nudity (Amanda Clayton)