The Winter of Frankie Machine (starring Robert De Niro - Director Michael Mann)

[Elano]

THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE By David Levien and Brian Kopelman
Based on the novel by Don Winslow

David Levien and Brain Kopelman - who wrote the recent Ocean's 13, crafted themselves one hell of a tale based on Don Winslow's novel.
THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE is the leanest, tightest script I read so far this year - and the shit is hot. It reads like the radio play style which I see a lot in Vogue these days with screenplays which means no INT or EXT or DAY or NIGHT or the annoying CONTINUOUS. Just the location, what happens, the characters, the dialogue and no fluff. No Shane Black comments - nada. Complete respect for the source material and plotting which runs at a tight and lean 134 pages. It is not a dense script by no means. Everything is spaced out. One, two line, spaced out description and action. Aspiring writers, it would be wise to track this one down for the plotting, the setup and the payoff and especially the presentation.

So what is it about?

Frank Machianno thought he had quit the Mob for good. The 62-year-old Vietnam vet has settled into a quiet life in his native San Diego as an avid businessman and an honest one at that. He run's three up and coming local businesses. He operates a bait shack on Ocean Beach Pier ("Frankie the Bait Guy"). He's got the linen service ("Frankie the Seafood Guy") and the seafood company ("Frankie the Seafood Guy"). He's got surfing as his hobby and catches a set of waves every chance he gets.

Frankie has an ex-wife he tolerates, PATTY, a girlfriend who's perfect for him DONNA (the equally workaholic owner of a high-end boutique), and a daughter JILL he dotes on who Frankie is trying to put through med school - she just got in. That's just the initial setup because regardless of him being Frankie the Bait guy, he is...

...FRANKIE FUCKING MACHINE!

There's just one problem. You don't retire from the Mob. Frankie Machine has killed lots of people and he has seen too many things. Regardless of how Frankie wants to lead a quite and peaceful life, for guys like him, the past always comes back to bite you in the ass.

Frankie's sharpshooting skills are legendary (he wasn't called "The Machine" for nothing), and when the head of the Los Angeles syndicate calls in a favor, OUR CALL TO ADVENTURE, he finds himself back in the game. He needs the 50k to just go to a meeting to have MOUSE JUNIOR's back. Frankie can use the money for his daughter JILL's college education.

Turns out Frankie was set up, but it's too late to change course; he's already neck-deep in the world of the thick-necked. Suddenly, people are trying to kill him -- and from corners of the Mafia that don't make sense. Unexpectedly he gets pulled back into the dangerous world he left behind.

The script vividly evokes the worlds of drugs, dirty politics, and organized crime. We basically watch one man Frankie, cope with his past catching up to him in the worst way. A great portrait of the "Mickey Mouse mob" of Southern California, satisfying mystery, and more than that just a great portrait of a formidable but not honorable man whose motto is "it's a lot of work being me."

Since a lot of the script involves flashbacks while Frankie tries to figure out what past episode has him in hot water, the overall effect of the script is like sitting around as a very colorful friend tells tales of the old days. And great tales they are. The entire script is narrated by Frankie in VOICEOVER and reads like a "How to be an efficient hit man for the mob" manual.

Through flashbacks, we get to know how Frankie got his nickname and what his life was like before he retired to his more respectable life of a businessman. Frankie tries hard to figure out why anyone would want to kill him now, and so he goes over past hits, making a mental list of all those who would want him dead.

Folks it's a great fucking story!

Frankie is a character that you can't help but love, despite his criminal past. You will fall in love with Frankie Machine; when he is good and when he is a bad motherfucker...

...and he is one BAD motherfucker!

Frankie is the perfect anti-hero and tailor fit for Robert DeNiro. This is a mob hitman movie and his escapades during his Mafioso days will thrill fans of this genre.

Reminds me of Brian Hegeland's PAYBACK and his awesome draft of MAN ON FIRE when it originally took place in Italy when Denzel's character systematically took down the entire mafia.

The action is fast, the characters are good. The script starts out relating Frank's new made life, and bounces back and forth from the past to the present. His past life in the Mob is so good and interesting, full of great scenarios. The bouncing back and forth is not confusing and makes for good reading. SPY GAME followed a similar structure. You will follow Frankie through his past and present at break-neck speed. He goes underground and tries to remember what past crime has led to this present problem.

He is on the run from the Mob and that run is exciting and fun.

Bullets go flying and bodies start dropping.

Mindful of Bronsen's The Mechanic, THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE is terrific tense thriller starring an antihero struggling to survive his past. The key to this action-packed tale is Frank and his adversaries who seem genuine, which makes the suspense that much more intense and intriguing.

Because I read a lot and im schooled up the ass in SETUP/PAYOFF techniques, I saw it very early in the beginning who set up Frankie. I knew who did it, it wasn't on the nose or anything but the script didn't tell you why until the final 3rd act where it belongs. The big reveal was organic.

SCRIPT READING/WRITING TIP OF THE DAY

Usually in man on the run thrillers like this and THE FUGITIVE - the ultimate bad guy - who is revealed in the 3rd act has to be PLANTED or introduced in the 1st act and before the 1st act ends - OUR SETUP for the eventual PAYOFF in the 3rd act.

Like I said before, knowing this rule, I knew who the bad guy is but just because you know who it is doesn't mean the journey wasn't fun. Trust me folks FRANKIE MACHINE will take on one hell of a journey.

Mob fans and DeNiro fans in general, look out for this one. A masterpiece.

[T-Dogg]

I read the book just recently, actually. I was just browsing in a bookstore (which I never usually do - I maybe read one book a year after I got through all the mandatory classics they made us read in high school - not that that was a bad thing), in the English paperbacks shelf - when the title just caught my eye. "The Winter of Frankie Machine". I mean such a ballsy title - so I picked it up. Read through the blurb on the back - bought it, read it, loved it.

It's not Dostojevski or "The Egyptian" by any means - but certainly the second most entertaining novel I've ever read.

[CRAFTY]

Yeah, I found out about this project about a month ago when I was surfing imdb.com to see what Michael Mann had been up to.
The storyline sounds like it could be an interesting film. Especially with Mann in the director's seat.

[Elano]

Yeah, I found out about this project about a month ago when I was surfing imdb.com to see what Michael Mann had been up to.
The storyline sounds like it could be an interesting film. Especially with Mann in the director's seat.

and a guy called.....ROBERT DE NIRO

[Capone~CA]

sounds great