Modus Operandi (film)
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Modus Operandi
| image = MODUSPOSTER.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Frankie Latina
| producer = Sasha Grey
Bobby Ciraldo
Danny Trejo
Janet K. Beasley
| writer = Frankie Latina
Andrew Swant
| starring = Randy Russell
Danny Trejo
Mark Borchardt
Michael Sottile
Mark Metcalf
Ayesha Mohan
Samwell
Barry Poltermann
Andrew Swant
Bobby Ciraldo
Sarah Price
| music = Peter Batchelder
Ray Chi
Didier Leplae
Nick Pipitone
Renato Umali
Joe Wong
| cinematography = Mark Escribano
| editing =
| studio = Frankie Latina Motion Pictures
Special Entertainment
Reign Supreme Entertainment
| distributor = Kino
| released = {{Film date|2009|6||CineVegas Film Festival}}
| runtime = 80 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Modus Operandi, directed by Frankie Latina, is an independent feature film shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Tokyo, Japan. Latina examines the exploitation film genre through a revenge tale about a desperate C.I.A. agent on a mission to find the man who murdered his wife.{{cite web |url=http://www.onmilwaukee.com/movies/articles/modusoperandi.html/ |author=Julie Lawrence |title=Wheels in motion for Milwaukee's "Modus Operandi" |date=July 2, 2008 |work=OnMilwaukee |accessdate=February 11, 2019}}
The film stars Danny Trejo (Machete, Heat, Predators), Mark Borchardt (American Movie), Michael Sottile (Reservoir Dogs), and Randy Russell (American Job) as Agent Stanley Cashay.
Modus Operandi was produced by Frankie Latina Motion Pictures, Special Entertainment and Reign Supreme Entertainment, and was distributed on DVD, Video On Demand, Netflix, and Redbox by Kino on February 14, 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/blaxploitation_meets_art-house_modus_operandi_director_frankie_latina/ |title=Blaxploitation Meets Art-House: "Modus Operandi" Director Frankie Latina |date=Jun 10, 2009 |work=IndieWire |author= |accessdate=February 10, 2019}}
Plot summary
Two briefcases with mysterious contents are stolen from top Presidential candidate Squire Parks, setting off a deadly series of double-crosses and betrayals. Desperate warring factions of subterranean organizations will stop at nothing to gain possession of the sensitive material. A covert branch of the CIA calls on notorious Black Ops agent Stanley Cashay, who has been barely existing in a semi-comatose twilight since the murder of his wife. Cashay is offered the identity of his wife's killer in exchange for locating and returning the cases.
Agent Cashay uses the most dangerous weapons at his command, the telephone and his reputation, to unleash a bizarre assortment of operatives, including the deliciously sleazy Casey Thunderbird and exotic Tokyo-based special agent Black Licorice. Along with scores of other beguiling rogues, they initiate a horrifying chain of events, including ruthless torture and brutal killings. When Cashay is finally in possession of the stolen materials, the contents of the briefcases shock even him, and he makes a decision that will change the course of history. Cashay then sets the wheels in motion for bitter revenge and harsh justice, but not before the entire operation is nearly derailed as merciless underworld forces fight back. The final chapters play out as an increasingly surreal vision of modern reality, skirting the edge of sanity and culminating with the wrath of the powerful Director Holiday, a man who would put the fear of God into God Himself.
Release
The film premiered at the CineVegas Film Festival in June 2009, where it received critical acclaim and obtained sales representation from Submarine Entertainment.{{cite news
| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55E0R120090615
| title = Hollywood Reporter article "Biz places bets on fresh talent at Vegas film fest"
| accessdate = 2010-01-08
| work=Reuters
| date=2009-06-15
}}
Modus Operandi was an official entry in the American Film Institute Film Festival where it screened at the historic Mann's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles in October 2009. The film played to sold-out audiences at the historic Landmark Oriental Theater during the Milwaukee Film Festival.
The film started its theatrical run on September 10, 2010, at the IFC Center in New York City, with a pre-screening introduction from Sasha Grey and appearances by Danny Trejo and Mark Borchardt.{{YouTube|I1nvY1kuDbs|TTH Interviews Sasha Grey, Danny Trejo, Frankie Latina}}; 2010-09-22.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2010/08/sasha-grey-to-be-present-at-modus-operandis-ifc-opening-219073/ |title=Sasha Grey to be Present at "Modus Operandi"'s IFC Opening |author=Nigel M. Smith |date=August 16, 2010 |work=IndieWire |accessdate=February 10, 2019}}
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews. As of October 16, 2023, the film holds a 63% approval rating based on 8 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.{{Cite web |date=2010-09-10 |title=Modus Operandi - Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/modus-operandi |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}
Critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film a positive review and called it a "special pleasure".{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} Mike Hale of the New York Times said "Frankie Latina’s Modus Operandi bears a greater surface resemblance to the 1960s and ’70s genre films to which it pays homage than Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse did."{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} Eric Hynes of the Village Voice called the film "seriously seedy and truly inspired", and Kyle Smith of the New York Post referred to the film as "Genius-level garbage".{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
References
External links
- [http://www.specialentertainment.com/?page_id=426 Official Site]
- {{IMDb title|0972855|Modus Operandi}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modus Operandi}}
Category:2000s exploitation films
Category:2009 independent films
Category:2000s English-language films
Category:American exploitation films