Blu ray review: Malone (1987)

When his good ol' boy comedies fell out of favor and his star status at the box office quickly plummeted, Burt Reynolds attempted to resurrect his career as a stoic presence in taut action dramas. They generated no real interest from moviegoers, but watching them now, decades later, they come off as breezy B-level actioners that are at least viscerally entertaining.

Malone features Reynolds in the title role, a disgruntled CIA operative who wants to put his past behind him and escape into country living. He discovers deeper levels of corruption in a small backwoods town than he had encountered in the service. Cliff Robertson joins Burt in chewing the scenery with gusto as a cult-like crime lord. Reynolds maintains a tough, stoic presence, a real difference from the cackling comedy of Smoky and the Bandit or The Cannonball Run. Reynolds was a good actor and could rise above flaccid material. Here he has a by-the-numbers action drama that benefits from some nice choice of visuals by director Harley Cokliss.

Burt Reynolds movies from this period of his career might benefit from another look, as they seem to have held up better than their original status would imply. Kino’s blu ray features commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson

The blu ray can be ordered at this link: MALONE