Brittle Bullets is an action/noir/dark comedy written by therealjackieboy.
Melvin "Mel" Johnson is an assassin who inhabits the corrupt city of Bathos. By night a killer, during the day, he's baking cakes for the city's orphanage and hanging out with his childhood boyfriend Isaac Jordan. That is until he performs a hit on Tommy Giancana, the son of powerful mob boss Alfredo "Al" Giancana, who sets out to get even with him. By his side is the mysterious, yet ever so sadistic, Fantom Killer, a figure from Melvin's past who decides to kidnap Isaac to make Mel suffer.
Doing what he can to find his partner with the help of his informant Message Man and the little girl Izzy, Melvin finds that several people are dying during his search. Very specific people.
The script can be read here.
Brittle Bullets provides examples of...
- Anti-Hero: Melvin may be sweet to those he cares for, but he's still an assassin who isn't afraid to harm those in his path.
- Attention Whore: How Message Man views Fantom's blood paintings. Given Fantom's narcissism, he's not wrong.
- Badass Longcoat: Melvin wears one throughout most of the script. Until it gets singed by Fantom during the climax, that is.
- Big Bad: Alfredo Giancana, the one responsible for launching his war against Melvin and those who killed his son. Majorly subverted when it turns out Al's nothing but a pawn in the Fantom's game, officially taking the mantle of Big Bad after Giancana bites it.
- Burn the Orphanage: To conclude his complex revenge scheme, Fantom attempts to burns down the Mayflower Orphanage and every child inside just to spite Mel one final time.
- The Chessmaster: The Fantom's behind the entire plot, using O'Handley's goals of power to wipe out the Giancana crime family, then manipulating Al Giancana into wiping out O'Handley and his co-conspirers, all so that Fantom can claim control over Bathos himself.
- Corrupt Politician: Mayor Bryan O'Handley, knowing he won't win re-election, works with the Fantom to try and gain more power by taking over the Giancana family business.
- Crapsack World: Bathos isn't exactly the most comfortable place to live, with corruption, the mafia, and a serial killer murdering prostitutes to make paintings with their blood.
- Depraved Homosexual: Good lord, the Fantom Killer, who prefers his kidnapped boyfriends muscular and lobotomized.
- Effeminate Misogynistic Guy: The thin-framed, homosexual Fantom Killer values women as primarily materials for his paintings.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Alfredo Giancana may be a tough, abrasive mob boss, but he genuinely cared for his son Tommy.
- Evil Cripple: While evil's a bit of a stretch, Message Man has a leg brace and cane, and he can be quite a jerk at times.
- Evil Is Petty: Oh boy, Fantom. Most of his actions are directly targeted at Melvin, from kidnapping his boyfriend Isaac, to killing his friend Message Man and bragging about it on the phone, and finally attempting to burn down the Mayflower Orphanage Melvin regularly visits because he wants Mel to suffer knowing that the children inside are going to die. The reason for all of this? Melvin punched him in the face on their first encounter, but only because Fantom was about to murder and rape him.
- Faux Affably Evil: Fantom has a calm presence to him, like that of a well-cultured artist, though the cracks show whenever something doesn't go his way.
- Foil: The Fantom Killer is this to Melvin. Both men are experienced murderers. But while Melvin kills because he gets paid for it, he only kills people who he believes deserve it, and even retires at the end to live a quiet life with Isaac and Izzy. Fantom on the other hand, takes pride in his murders, and shows no signs of stopping. While Fantom's paintings are well-liked by most of the public, Melvin's murders are condemned for being too violent.
- Gentle Giant: Melvin may be big and buff, but he's a real softie, especially around children.
- Hitman with a Heart: Melvin may be a killer, but damn if he doesn't have a heart of gold.
- Hope Spot: Frankmeyer's rescue of Isaac is unfortunately short-lived when Fantom returns and kills Frankmeyer himself.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Message Man might be an old heckler who cracks jokes about Melvin's predicament and sexuality, but he genuinely cares for him, assisting him in his search for Isaac.
- Mad Artist: The Fantom Killer takes pride in his art, canvas paintings with women's blood used as paint.
- Manly Gay: Mel's a big, buff killer who's proud of his homosexuality.
- Naked Apron: A rare male example. Melvin prefers baking cakes wearing nothing but a pink apron and boxers. Message Man even pokes fun at him for doing this.
- Never My Fault: Despite Fantom attempting to flat out murder and have his way with Melvin during their first time together, he still harbors anger over Mel punching him in the face and being the one who got away.
- Nice Guy: John Frankmeyer, Fantom's kind neighbor who often asks him to help build his boat. He even gets to play hero when he rescues Isaac from his imprisonment. Unfortunately, he's killed by Fantom immediately after.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Fantom is based on real life Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer, sans the cannibalism. Both are gay murderers who are interested in murdering muscular black men to have them serve as their zombified sex slaves.
- No Name Given:
- The Fantom Killer. His real name might be Kenneth Friedkin, though it's left ambiguous.
- Message Man's true name, however, is never revealed.
- One-Man Army: Melvin's able to take down swarms of Giancana's goons no problem. In the climax, Melvin's able to annihilate not only Giancana, but his entire army of gunmen all on his own.
- Outside-Context Problem: What better way to deal with an assassin in an urban, mafia-run environment, than to hire a serial killer straight from a horror movie? Subverted however, when Fantom's importance to the plot gradually thickens.
- Police Are Useless: None of the police in Bathos are ever really helpful. It's even revealed near the end that Fantom has connections to them thanks to his blood paintings, which allows him to acquire some of their weapons.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: One of thugs Melvin runs into at the beginning refers to him as "Blacky." He gets his ass handed to him a few seconds later.
- Public Secret Message: Alfredo discovers a secret message directed at him from Fantom in the Bathos newspaper, found in a written interview with the Fantom.
- Race Fetish: Fantom has a thing for strong, African American men, whom he enjoys lobotomizing them to become his sex slaves.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: The Fantom's a pale-skinned man with dark hair, befitting his villainous look and moniker.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Melvin may be a buff assassin, but that's not stopping him from baking cakes for the city's orphanage. He even wears a pink apron with no shame.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Famous!: How Fantom ultimately gets away with his murders. His blood paintings are rather well-done, earning him fans who range from casual civilians, snooty art collector Zurko, the Bathos police force, and even mayor Bryan O'Handley.
- Serial Killer: The Fantom Killer, who haunts the streets of Bathos murdering women and killing black men to act as his zombified sex slaves.
- Sex Slave: What Fantom turns his male captives into, giving them half-assed lobotomies to make them his mindless playthings until he grows weary of them.
- Shout-Out:
- The script's title was taken from an episode of FLCL.
- Mayor O'Handley's aide, Susan Wynorski, shares the same last name of the famous B-movie director Jim Wynorski.
- Terrible Trio: Luko, Tuco, and Dars, three of Giancana's men who consistently pester Melvin during his search for Isaac.
- Would Hurt a Child: During the climax, Fantom tries to burn the orphanage and its children down just to spite Melvin.
