A troubled young boy suffering at the hands of his abusive older brother seeks solace in the arms of a traveling burlesque circus singer in this surreal, true crime thriller that follows in the tradition of David Lynch's Blue Velvet and marks the acting debut of former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton. Jimmy (Jak Kendall) is a small-town dreamer who only seems to find peace while walking the candy-colored boardwalk of the traveling circus that has recently rolled into town. Emotionally shackled by his mother Eleanor's (Karen Black) religious fanaticism and physically intimidated by his alcoholic brother, David (Mike Patton), Jimmy leads a meek life of servitude and submissiveness from which he is powerless to escape. Upon glimpsing the exotic beauty of sultry singer Sandra (also Black), Jimmy furtively strikes up a friendship with the woman despite ominous signs that she is being held captive behind the microphone by sadistic circus ringmaster Frank (also Patton). When David goes missing and the horrors of Jimmy's home life are mirrored by the suffering of Sandra in the most unexpected ways, the perceived peace of small-town Kansas is forever shattered by the terrifying truth behind the wholesome, white picket-fence facade of suburbia

"Firecracker" is the kind of film that never really appeals to a specific group of people. It doesn't really fit easily into any genre, and isn't the kind of movie that will enthrall those seeking simple entertainment from any film-going experience."Firecracker" is much more than any film, because not only is it genre-less, but it transcends the rules of any genre and becomes incredibly engaging.Jimmy is a teen who just wants to be left to his own devices. He wishes to play piano, but is forced to hold back by his tormentor; his older brother David. David screams and yells, beats and rapes. And then something happens. A murder occurs in the secrecy of the White home.So many people will despise this film, but there is nothing here to hate, I believe. Jimmy's world is black and white, but the amazing carnival he visits is an amazing palette of colors. The characters are all unique, yet oddly similar (some actors play more than one character, but for good reason).There are many words that express this film; beautiful, twisted, dark, colorful, intense, real, gorgeous. But there is only one word that I believe really reaches the core of what this film is: HYPNOTIC.

This film had an enormous amount of potential as a drama/murder mystery, but the two ends do not meet. Firecraker would easily leave any viewer asking what the point of this film was, and I don't blame them. It asks far too much of the viewer for interpretation, and quite frankly it doesn't seem intentional.I really enjoyed some parts of Firecracker. There were moments that were truly gripping and sent chills down my spine. But most of that was counteracted by incredibly poor acting. Don't get me wrong - Jak Kendall was brilliant, and Mike Patton was as vibrant as his music (perhaps too much). Yet others like Karen Black and Amy Kelly are almost laughable at points. I can only blame it on amateurish direction, and it's a shame, because these people can do better.Despite that, there's a lot to appreciate here. The editing, cinematography and colors of the film are brilliant and beautiful. Yet the story, while gripping at its core, is presented in such a hollow form that the whole package really falls flat.I would regretfully not recommend this film to anyone. It is at more time painful to watch than captivating. And that is truly unfortunate. This story should definitely be re-visited with better direction. The art of this film and good storytelling could co-exist to create something truly brilliant - but this is not it.And upon further review, I think it is worth noting that almost all 10/10 reviews on this film are from accounts that were made solely to put a positive face on this movie and were probably done by those involved with the movie. If you don't believe me, click on their accounts and you will see that this is the only film they've reviewed.

There isn't much I can say about this film that others who disliked it haven't already said. The acting is awful during many parts, and the direction is even worst at times. The story was good, but the direction and acting of this film really took away from that. There were even moments where I would laugh, because the acting was so bad. If rumors are true that Dennis Hopper was fired so Mike Patton could play the two roles, I'm shocked. Mike Patton did alright for his debut acting performance, but it was still very weak. He was definitely not brilliant as some reviews claim. This film is not as great as it's hyped out to be, and I'd even say it's not worth your time or money.