Made Men (1999)

I have to say that I wasn't enjoying 'Made Men' for the first act. About the first half hour was pretty dull. James Belushi plays Bill 'The Mouth' Mannuci – an informant who's living under the 'witness protection scheme' in the deep south of America after he dropped his mob boss in it. However, his happy new life doesn't go as planned when his former associates track him down in the belief that he's still hanging on to millions of ill-gotten money.What follows is – effectively – the four gangsters constantly beating on him while they try and get the whereabouts of the money out of him. My initial reaction was 'how much punishment can one rather overweight kind of guy take?' And take it he does. Most people (in better physical condition) would probably have cracked (or died!) long ago, yet Belushi just keeps on coming back with one smart and defiant quip after the next. This kind of annoyed me, but then he's hardly a 'sympathetic' hero, so I guess his punishment fits his arrogance. Finally, they stop torturing him and take him on a road trip. Then things start getting a little better.What starts off pretty dull changes into a kind of action/chase movie as he Belushi does his best to evade and escape his captors. It's hardly intellectual stuff, but there are plenty of pretty cool shoot-outs and car chases to keep us 'mindless males' entertained. The plot gets a little better as more characters are introduced – all of which are completely amoral and only interested in whether they can get their hands on Belushi's alleged loot.Timothy Dalton is good as the Sheriff, but what he brings to the film, the 'generic British guy' who's somehow been thrown in there as part of the gang seems totally over the top and in the wrong film.Made Men will never be a classic, but that doesn't mean it's not fun. If you're looking for a 'no brainer' where you're not bothered about actually liking any of the characters, this one could be for you. It's one of those film that you'll probably find on the telly late at night and just stick with it. Probably one to watch first, but you may not bother buying it.

That's what the title should be, anyway.This movie combines guns, explosives, and mindless killing to make one flop of an "action" movie. Let me make my point in a series of questions: answers type deal.What happens in the movie? People die.Is that it? Yes.What is the plot about? What plot?What is the point the movie is trying to make? Killing is the only solution.What are the characters like? Extremely flawed and contradictive toward their own personalities.Is there anything good about this movie? Yes. I'm sure they used some nice Panavision cameras in filming it.If you like constant killing and greed, then watch the movie. If you happen to be repulsed by such low-standard "entertainment", then "Made Men" is not for you.To sum it up, the plotline stinks, the characters aren't worth their while, the storyline is completely resistable, and nothing fits together.This proves one thing: the actors, directors, and whoever helped make this movie certainly aren't "Made".

Great entertainment from start to the end. Wonderful performances by Belushi, Beach, Dalton & Railsback. Some twists and many action scenes. The movie was made for me! Funny lines in the screenplay, good music. Dalton as the tough sheriff and Railsback as "redneck-villain". I must recommend this film to every action-adventure fan! 10/10

Once again I come across a direct to video title (MADE MEN)and the first thing I do is turn the video cover around and identify the movie's director (Louis Morneau) and producers (Joel Silver, Richard Donner). The chances of me renting this film increase with the degree of knowledge I have of these names. I ended up renting MADE MEN. Why? Not because Louis Morneau directed the recent theatrical release BATS (a fact that I knew of but was hardly a selling point). The two producers of this film know action very well (Donner responsible for the LETHAL WEAPON series, Silver responsible for DIE HARD and THE MATRIX). This film should be great right? Wrong. John Belushi plays organized crime informant Bill Manucci now in the witness protection program. Having stolen a large sum of money from a big boss known as the Skipper, our hero is tracked down and kidnapped by 3 of Skipper's representatives. The local law enforcement also gets involved in the form of corrupt Sheriff Dex Drier (miscast Timothy Dalton) and his deputy. Finally, a third party of hick illicit drug makers join in the pursuit after their lab is accidently destroyed in one of many gun battles.Technically this film is sound. Aesthetically, it has all the elements of a quality action film: Explosions, gun fights, corny one liners, etc. I enjoyed a few of the action sequences (eg man on roof shooting down at main character whose double fisted while shooting up. However, the film is lacking in a strong central character who deserves the audience's attention. Belushi is normally a likeable actor (I liked him in RED HEAT) but is downright annoying and unfunny. The villains are hardly ruthless. Vanessa Angel plays a thankless role as Bill's wife. Finally, the story that unfolds contains very few twists and is altogether boring (the final story twist comes too little and too late). Looking for a B-movie with solid credentials? Try Black Cat Run.