Malone (1987) Orion/Action RT: 92 minutes Rated R (language, violence) Director: Harley Cokeliss Screenplay: Christopher Frank Music: David Newman Cinematography: Gerald Hirschfeld Release date: May 1, 1987 (US) Cast: Burt Reynolds, Kenneth McMillan, Cynthia Gibb, Scott Wilson, Lauren Hutton, Cliff Robertson, Philip Anglim, Tracey Walter, Dennis Burkley, Alex Diakun, Brooks Gardner, Mike Kirton. Box Office: $3M (US)
Rating: ***
I’m categorizing the Burt Reynolds actioner Malone as a B-movie because that’s what it is at heart even though it features a few big name stars- e.g. Reynolds, Kenneth McMillan (The Pope of Greenwich Village), Lauren Hutton (American Gigolo) and Cliff Robertson (Charly). I saw it with my father on a Saturday afternoon, the perfect day and time to view a movie that demands nothing of the viewer other than 92 minutes worth of suspension of disbelief.
Reynolds plays the title role, a CIA assassin who decides to pack it in and hit the road. While driving aimlessly to destination anywhere, his car breaks down leaving him stranded in a small Oregon mountain town. Since it’ll take a few days for his car to be fixed, he accepts garage owner Paul Barlow’s (Wilson, The Ninth Configuration) offer of a play to stay.
It doesn’t take long for trouble to find Malone. The town is controlled by Charles Delaney (Robertson), a shady businessman buying up everybody’s land for a fraction of their actual worth. Those who refuse to sell are harassed until they change their minds. Paul, whose teenage daughter Jo (Gibb, Youngblood) works the gas pumps, has no intention of selling out. Naturally, Delaney is curious about the stranger in town. Whoever he is, he can’t afford to have somebody snooping around. You see, Delaney is the leader of a white nationalist group. His intention, I think, is to clear everybody out of town and turn it into a training camp for his followers. He’ll stop at nothing to attain his goal. Unfortunately for him, Malone doesn’t scare easily. If he’s pushed far enough, he’ll push back.
Based on the William Wingate novel Shotgun, Malone contains the usual plot elements found in movies like this. For instance, the town’s pot-bellied sheriff (McMillan) really works for Delaney. At one point, one of his deputies tries to kill Malone. Delaney has a psychotic right-hand man (Diakun, The Hitman) who deals with the townie thugs on the payroll. Jo develops a crush on Malone after he makes short work of a thug attempting to intimidate them.
Malone isn’t without its problems. A subplot involving a former CIA colleague (Hutton) sent by her superiors to kill Malone feels superfluous. They seem to have a romantic past, but it’s never explained; it’s only hinted at. The part of the screenplay dealing with Delaney’s ultimate plan is rather vague, but it somehow involves sending one of his guys to kill a black politician. If it’s any help, he has a barn filled with enough automatic weapons, ammo and explosives to start a war. Delaney’s plan isn’t even made clear when he lapses into Talking Villain mode at the end. What he says is mostly rhetoric about patriotism and maintaining an American way of life. I’ve been giving Robertson’s performance as Delaney a lot of thought. I’ve decided it’s a good thing he doesn’t ham it up. He’s essentially a wealthy guy with some nutty ideas. The fact that his character has the money and power to make terrible things happen makes him extremely dangerous. He doesn’t need to act crazy too.
By this point in Burt’s career, he wasn’t bringing in audiences like he used to back in the days of Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run. He made Malone after a steady series of flops- i.e. Stroker Ace, Cannonball Run II, Stick and Heat. I didn’t expect a lot from Malone when I bought my ticket nor did I expect it to restart his career. I liked it and I liked him in it. Burt does his usual macho guy thing in what’s essentially a variation on Shane. At 50, he was starting to slow down a bit. Check out the tricky editing when he beats the hell out of one of Delaney’s goons on a bridge. Still, it’s great seeing him do his thing. McMillan is perfectly cast as a corrupt small town sheriff who just wants Malone to go away. I’m not sure if I buy Hutton as a gun-toting CIA agent, but what the hell. In addition to all else, two of my favorite character actors, Dennis Burkley (Wanted Dead or Alive) and Tracey Walter (Repo Man), show up as local toughs on Delaney’s payroll. It’s always great seeing these guys!
Directed by Harley Cokeliss (Black Moon Rising), Malone is a decent action movie. He has a knack for this type of film. I’m amazed he managed to assemble a cast this good. The action scenes are sufficiently exciting and violent. A few baddies get some big holes blown through them. It won’t go down as one of Burt’s shining moments, but it’s good enough that you’ll overlook its weaknesses.
