Review of Give 'em Hell, Malone (2009) by David H — 15 Mar 2010

This is exactly my kind of movie! A gritty, hard-boiled detective story that defines the term noir. Filled with a cast of characters that could have come out of a Dick Tracy comic-strip this movie makes you feel like you've been pulled into the middle of an ongoing saga and not only does it suck you in, it keeps you there.

The plot follows the Raymond Chandler storytelling device of when you don't know what to do next have someone kick the door in. It may sound lazy but in a movie such as this, it works, and is almost necessary to keep the story going.

Almost every character has their own story. Doug Hutchison is creepy as hell and multiple times gives us more than a shade of Ledger's Joker, Ving Rhames is sympathetic despite his brutality, and Thomas Jane.

.. how can you NOT root for the guy no matter what he's in? I think he's one of the most likable actors onscreen ever and his squared-jaw gun-for-hire here is no exception. My only complaint with this movie was an art direction choice.

All the characters and every tied in with them (props, vehicles, clothes and hairstyles, etc.) are very art deco-ish, set in a 1950s pulp setting... however the rest of the world is modern. This made the movie feel a little disjointed and too many times distracted me from what was going on.

Still, the movie was amazing and fun and the ending promises a sequel that I very much hope we get to see. If you're a fan of hard-boiled detective stories or noir films in general you're going to have a blast.