The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I want to believe that this tries to be a rather naive homage to Noir films with a sense of humor. It has all the ingredients of a Noir film except one: a good story! Everything is predictable, cliché after cliché, and the feeling is that the formal part of this film was much more important that what it tries to describe. It has elements from comics and the visuals are rather good, which makes this m,movie watchable if you want some fun, but do not try to take it seriously.Another disappointing was the acting, which always seems odd and forced.So watch it, have fun, and forget it!

Thomas Jane, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated actors of this generation. He's not in much, but what he's in, he takes the whole film to himself and writes his name all over it. He's pretty brilliant. This consisted in Give 'Em Hell Malone. He was Malone and no one could have fit it better. This movie in my opinion was the sequel to the 2004 Punisher I never had. It had a lot of similarities (his family died, he gets revenge, he kills a lot of bad people, he drinks whiskey, he lives in a mediocre apartment, etc) and had the same amount of enjoyability. This was an extremely fun movie just because of all of the action and humor in it. Everybody fit into the movie greatly and even though the story was mediocre and bland, I still cared about it because of all the fun I had watching it. It's the perfect length for anybody who wants to have a great time watching a violent, grindhouse-style, hilarious movie. 8 out of 10.

It plays like a noir, it looks like a noir and it feels like a film noir ... So it must be a film noir! And it is. A pretty violent and bloody one, but still. There is everything here, that the formula would need. Except it does seem to play in another universe. Because you can't define it what time period in "our" world this is supposed to be. You have old cars and "old" clothing, but you also have cell phones and other newer inventions.But if you get hung up on the time period thing or get bothered by the fact, that this couldn't be played out in the "real" world and therefor is not a "pure" noir movie, than you would miss on the entertaining part of the movie. Thomas Jane, who seems the go to guy, if you need a "B-movie" action Hero (Punisher, Mutant Chronicles), but also has the weight of knowing what he is doing as an actor. A very fine choice for the lead role. "The Damsel in Distress" and other characters fill in quite nicely.After a very powerful beginning (an action scene, that gives you enough entertainment already), the thriller aspect of the movie kicks in. Nicely played (out) and beautifully shot and edited!

The "film noir" from the 40's and 50's is one of the easiest cinematographic (and literary) genres to imitate, but also one of the most difficult ones to capture without falling on the ridiculous or the involuntary humor.And even though I suspect some purists could consider the modest film Give 'Em Hell, Malone as a mediocre parody, I personally think that it fulfilled with the necessary requirements in order to simultaneously consider it as an affectionate tribute and respectful imitation of the genre.But, beyond its intention, I think it is a very competent "noir" film with solid performances, an interesting screenplay and even some substance behind the characters which enriches the story.Naturally, the screenplay is a collection of encounters with murderers, allies and informants, which do not always significantly contribute to the story, but at least they keep it on a constant movement, with various opportunities of suspense, violence and stylish dialogs.And that is were Russell Mulcahy's direction best works.Despite the false moves he had during his career (like, for example, the atrocious Tale of the Mummy or Silent Trigger), Mulcahy shows in Give 'Em Hell, Malone that he has not lost his absolute control on the visual language, rhythm and edition in order to construct a consistent narrative flow yet.The costumes, vehicles and sets from this film show a curious combination of nostalgia and modernity; thanks to that, a good "noir" atmosphere is achieved at the same time the technical problems of creating a set from the 40's are solved.By the way, I think the comparisons between Sin City and Give 'Em Hell, Malone are unfair, because the simple fact that they both use the archetypes from detective literature does not mean one is a copy of the other.As for the actors, with one exception, they all contribute to the tribute with natural performances which are free of any irony, at the same time they do not fall in the temptation of taking the story or their characters as a joke.To start with, Thomas Jane is flawless as the main character.Ving Rhames and Doug Hutchison also bring precise works as the villain's henchmen.The exception I talked about on the beginning of the paragraph is Elsa Pataky as the "femme fatale", because she does not bring enough passion or intensity to her character.Give 'Em Hell, Malone may not be a great movie, but its combination of actors, "noir" atmosphere and a labyrinthine screenplay with a satisfactory ending made it very entertaining to me.Besides, it confirms us that Mulcahy can be a very competent director when he works with the right material.