gavin6942 Ex-CIA hit-man running from his past (Richard Malone, played by Burt Reynolds) finds just how difficult it is to retire when he runs across a small town controlled by mercenaries and a family that is resisting their control.Reynolds is a smooth pimp, even kissing a young girl in front of her father. I mean, really, who has the balls to do that? Only Reynolds. And why not, when you can go around and beat people up -- or kill them -- without the police being able to stop you? An odd mystery: at one point, Malone's birth date is given as February 14, 1941. I wonder if this date was chosen for any particular reason. This is not Reynolds' birthday, and in fact would make Malone a few years younger than Reynolds...

Comeuppance Reviews Richard Malone (Reynolds) is a former CIA assassin and Special Ops soldier whose car breaks down in the sleepy burg of Comstock, Oregon. He's trying to escape his past, but he runs afoul of the sinister Charles Delaney (Robertson), a small-town megalomaniac who is trying to take over the world. While in Comstock, he makes friends with the kindly mechanic and garage owner Paul (Wilson) , and develops an interesting relationship with his young daughter Jo (Gibb of Death Warrant fame). The town he's in is so small, he even develops fame among the locals as "The Guy With The Car Trouble". Even though Jamie (Hutton) is trying to stop his violent ways, he cuts through the corruption and red tape of the local Sheriffs and takes on Delaney and his many goons.Malone is 90 minutes of stupid entertainment at its finest. It's chock full with funny lines and absurd situations, way too many to recount here. Burt Reynolds' monosyllabic performance is just amazing - his contempt for the very fact that he has to be there is so open and unmasked. Luckily for the audience, that's absolutely hilarious. But it's not just Reynolds who has checked out: Robertson as the smarmy land developer who sends thugs to kill off his rivals is a total paycheck role. Both men phoned in their roles to extremely funny effect. I assume this was unintentional. Perhaps Reynolds assumed his mustache, funny faces, expanding gut and bizarre toupee would carry the day. As it turns out, he was right! It totally does.A lot of the running time of Malone is comprised of various people asking Richard Malone what his name is. There's always a pause, and then Reynolds exasperatingly exhales "Malone". This takes up a good 20-30 percent of the film's running time. Fortunately, this scenario gets funnier every time it happens.It has been noted the film's many similarities to the classic Western Shane (1953), but it also appears the later Radical Jack (2000) was heavily influenced by Malone (as has everyone else that's ever seen it). A mysterious man comes to a small town, a man that happens to be trained in the deadly arts, and tries to stop yet another small-town crime boss (I guess every little town has one) and must fight the "evil yokels" along the way.On the technical side, if you live in America and have Netflix streaming, watch Malone that way. It's in widescreen and the print they found is stunning. Even though we had seen it on VHS previously, watching it on streaming was like watching it for the first time. It really brought out the full potential and many nuances of the film.You'll be singing "I think we're Malone now" as you laugh your way through this very enjoyable gem.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

merklekranz Burt Reynolds at times can be a really annoying actor, often portraying an enormous ego, that gets in the way of true acting. I am happy to report that is not the case with"Malone", as a very low key Burt Reynolds is complimented nicely by an always low key Scott Wilson. There are some great character actors in this one also, including Kenneth McMillan, and Tracey Walter. Cliff Robertson is the strong arming overzealous, disillusioned, "patriot", putting the squeeze on a small Oregon town. Reynolds walks away from his C.I.A. operative position, and winds up the unsolicited defender of decent folks. "Malone" is a very good action film, and one of Burt's best. - MERK

Frank Markland 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)