6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ex-CIA hitman running from his past (Malone) finds just how difficult it is to retire when he runs accross a small town controlled by mercenaries and a family that's resisting their control.
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Cliff Robertson, Kenneth McMillan, Cynthia Gibb, Scott WilsonThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
After years of B-movies and supporting roles, Burt Reynolds finally achieved global stardom in the 1970s with beloved efforts such as “Smokey and the Bandit.” The 1980s, at least the latter half of the decade, were less kind to the actor. Struggling to sustain his box office dominance, Reynolds elected to replace his mischievous screen presence with a harder, unflinching action hero pose, working through enforcer/authority pictures such as “Heat” and “Stick.” 1987’s “Malone” is a prime example of the career fatigue that shadowed Reynolds, participating in a formulaic revenge movie that preserves heavy western influences. While initial moments promise a capable but predictable thriller, “Malone” doesn’t maintain appeal for very long, quickly dissolving into stupidity as director Harley Cokliss and screenwriter Christopher Frank shave down the source material (The novel “Shotgun,” by William P. Wingate) to a series of violent encounters featuring thinly-sketched personalities. It’s all about Reynolds here, and if you look close enough, you can see the thin little toothpicks propping his eyes open as he sleepwalks through the adventure.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't begin promisingly, showcasing a blizzard of debris and softness that suggests trouble ahead for the BD debut of "Malone." Matters don't radically improve after the main titles, but this is only a functional viewing experience, showing its age with muted colors that handle costume changes and location greenery, while skintones are adequate. Detail is rarely impressive, but it carries well in close-ups, surveying facial textures, while set decoration is easily observed. Grain is on the noisy side, but holds a mildly filmic presence. Whites are a bit too bloomy. Delineation is rarely challenged, but there's a little solidification. Source retains consistent speckling.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a perfunctory listening experience, but nothing is lost due to distortion. Dialogue exchanges are reasonably clear, only finding dramatic extremes threatened by inherent audio issues. Scoring is bolder and supportive, working tirelessly and clearly to build up excitement levels. Atmospherics are generally satisfactory, handling exterior expanses well. No pronounced damage was detected.
The clunky third act of "Malone" strives to work out a reason for the titular character to slip into One Man Army mode, watching Reynolds become Arnold Schwarzenegger for a moment as the assassin arms himself with guns and grenades to take on Delaney's security force. In a film with random car chases and sketchy reasons to kill a man who "knows too much," the graduation to explosions and bullets is actually comforting, with the effort finally accepting its brain-dead ways by giving in to blunt violence. "Malone" might've worked with a hungrier star and more dynamic direction, delivering cheap but cinematic thrills. Instead, we're stuck with Reynolds mentally distancing himself from what often looks like a television pilot, leaving the feature to die a slow death from disinterest.
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