Malone (1987)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Fantastic!

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

A Great Blast From The 80's Action Movies ... Malone Promises Action, Good Acting And Lots Of Fun ... It Delivers ... Like The Classic 1953 Alan Ladd Movie "Shane" Or The 1985 Clint Eastwood Movie "Pale Rider", Burt Reynold As Malone Rides Into A Down Trodden Town Where Good People Are Being Harassed By The Powers That Be, The Movie Is Similar To The Two Mentioned Including The Love Smitten Young Lady ... Yet The Movie Stands Alone As A Movie Worth Watching ... Cliff Robertson Is Excellent As The Self Appointed Savior Of His Country ... I Haven't Watched A Lot Of Burt Reynold's Work But This Was A Pleasure To Watch ... My IMDb Rating 8 Out Of 10

Once upon a time, in the 1970s, Burt Reynolds vied with Clint Eastwood for Hollywood male movie star domination at the box office. He was one hell of a popular guy, no denying, but when it came to outlasting and outstripping Mr Eastwood in terms of popularity, creativity and sheer movie mythology, ultimately he was on a hiding to nowhere.Eastwood saw himself more as a film-maker than a star. Reynolds saw himself that way too. Problem was, the films Burt made were mostly uninspiring and forgettable box-office bubblegum time-wasters. Where Eastwood could boast powerfully iconic characters like The Man With No Name and Dirty Harry and Josie Wales Reynolds had Bandit, Gator McKlusky and Stick Stickley. When Eastwood started directing audiences got PLAY MISTY FOR ME, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES, and eventually the Oscar-baiting UNFORGIVEN. Reynolds gave audiences a taste of his directorial skills with GATOR, THE END, SHARKEY'S MACHINE and STICK.By the eighties, neither actor seemed to still be at the top of their game, but Eastwood continued to remain a timeless epitome of cool machismo. Whereas Reynolds, with his 70s porno-star moustache and intricately coiffed toupé looked sadly hokey and anachronistic.Which brings me to MALONE. This is one of those films that you feel you shouldn't like but do in-spite of your better judgement. Burt is an ex-special forces operative and CIA troubleshooter proficient at wet work. He loses his edge, aborts an assassination and walks away because he's had enough of the killing and stuff, etc, etc. He ends up stranded in a one horse town in a beautiful valley somewhere in California when his car breaks down. As is the way of such things, the parts he needs to get his car working again have to be ordered so he shelters with the local garage owner and his nubile daughter.Meanwhile, mega rich and frozen-faced landowner Delaney (Cliff Robertson) is buying up all the local properties and strong-arming the populace out of his way. He's an ultra right-wing nut-job building an army to fight for truth, justice and the American way. Which translates as "kill anyone who doesn't agree with us or is in any way, shape or form different than us." Soon, Malone crosses the path of some of his hired goons and you can pretty much guess the rest. Yes, they've met the wrong guy this time. When Malone's ex partner and lover (Lauren Hutton) ends up with a plastic bag over her head at the hands of Delaney's thugs his aversion to all the killing and stuff, etc, etc, is forgotten and Burt and his trusty toupé embark on a one man wigged-out mission to blow them all away.What can I tell you. It's dumb, predictable, contrived, thick-eared and really quite low rent. And it's great fun. Burt takes it all quite seriously, but ironically looks utterly absurd. The moustache, the wig, the denims, the paunch. But he punches, runs, jumps and shoots with remarkable enthusiasm and prowess. Whilst looking utterly absurd. Cliff Robertson has the quizzically stunned expression of a man who once won a best actor Oscar and is now wondering just what the hell happened to his career and just how did he wind up a second stringer in films like MALONE.Yet I don't resent this movie one iota. Certainly not enough to call it a guilty pleasure because I don't feel guilty in the least. I like this film because I enjoy it. And if it came down to a choice of kicking back with some DVDs at home and watching either MALONE or MILLION DOLLAR BABY (even though Eastwood is number one in my book) it's going to be a clear case of home MALONE.

In Malone, Burt Reynolds is a CIA paid assassin who's tired of the life and wants out of the company. Of course the company doesn't see it his way and his former protégé Lauren Hutton is sent to terminate his contract with the agency. But Reynolds in looking for obscurity finds a place where a mysterious millionaire Cliff Robertson is buying all the land in some obscure valley in Idaho to make it his headquarters for some ill defined right wing conspiracy. Robertson's bought the sheriff, Kenneth McMillan and several local louts to enforce his will on the community. Reynolds's car broke down here by sheer chance and he's taken in by garage owner Scott Wilson and his daughter Cynthia Gibb. When Robertson's thugs start leaning on them, Reynolds springs into action.Burt Reynolds's style is a whole lot like James Garner, quizzical, cynical and charming. I'm not used to seeing him play it as tight lipped as he does in Malone, but he does carry it off. The film borrows a lot from the plot of Shane and I could certainly see a 1987 version of Alan Ladd in the part.It's a good action film even though a lot of the plot issues are unresolved. More than fans of Burt Reynolds will enjoy this.

Burt Reynolds star as Malone, an ex CIA agent who comes to small town and helps a family against greedy businessmen led by Cliff Robertson, at first Malone doesn't want to get involved as he is trying to keep a low profile however after an attack in town, he feels obligated to fight back. Malone would be a fun action flick, if it weren't so incredibly boring. The movie is fairly un-credible with Reynolds getting hit by a shotgun and getting better in days, normally plot holes like that don't bother me but when the movie is so low on action and lame in script, you question the movie's decision to be character driven. As it stands this not nearly as fun as one would expect from it's cover.*1/2 out of 4-(Poor)