Modus Operandi

After the mysterious “The Cowboy” double-crosses the CIA, two important briefcases go missing. Black Ops special agent Stanley Cashay is dragged out of retirement to track them down. His reward? The name of the man who killed his wife. But Cashay needs to clean up quickly if he wants to get back into the game. First-time feature director Frankie Latina proudly sets his film in his hometown of Milwaukee, populating it with local legends: Randy Russell, co-author of the great AMERICAN JOB, plays Cashay, and Mark Borchardt, hero of AMERICAN MOVIE, plays wine-fueled, art deco superagent Dallas Deacon. He and the delicious but deadly Black Licorice are hot for the briefcases—the evil smut inside may go straight to the top. Add Danny Trejo, hordes of bathing beauties packing guns and a soundtrack with piano keys and fuzz pedals as ammo and you have a fun, titillating low-rent James Bond, shot in glorious Super 8. —AFI Film Festival