Made Men (1999) User Reviews

It gets better

[bowmanblue · 7/10 · 8 March 2015]

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.

A pleasant surprise.

[Martin^5 · 7/10 · 22 May 2000]

This movie surprised me in a good way. From the box I got the impression that it was an action thriller but it was too funny to be a thriller, even though it was somewhat exciting.

There's a lot of nice one-liners and funny situations in this movie and James Belushi was born to do Bill Manucci, he does a great job. The rest of the cast ain't half-bad either and especially Timothy Dalton is a treat.

The story can get pretty confusing at times as new characters shows up during the film. Things get more complicated as nobody seldom tells the truth about things. If you don't pay attention things might get a bit messy in the end but I really liked it.

Louis Morneau isn't all that well known but he has done a perfectly OK job with this one and I never really grew impatient while watching the movie.

Made men is well worth checking out.

Absolutely Predictable

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 18 June 2016]

In the small town Harmony in the countryside, Bill Manucci (James Belushi) is hunted down by hit men and he asks his wife Debra (Vanessa Angel) to travel to Los Angeles. Bill is under the witness protection program after betraying the powerful mobster Skipper. Out of the blue, the criminals Miles (Michael Beach), Royce (Jamie Harris) and Nick (David O'Donnell) come from Chicago and break in his house. They torture Bill to find where the money that he stole from their boss is. Bill does not tell and they drive him back to Chicago in a van to meet Skipper. When they stop in a gas station, they stumble upon the redneck Sheriff Dex Drier (Timothy Dalton) that asks his Deputy Conley (Tim Kelleher) to follow their van. Along their journey, the gangsters learn that Bill stole twelve million dollars from Skipper. Bill succeeds to escape from them but the owner of a drug laboratory Kyle (Steve Railsback) and his men abduct him. There is a clash between the gangs and Bill escapes again. Miles finds him and discloses that he is an undercover FBI agent that wants the money to arrest Skipper. But they are hunted down by Kyle and his gang and also by the sheriff. Will they succeed to escape?

"Made Men" is a film that combines action with comedy that does not work well. The director Louis Morneau unsuccessfully tries to imitate Guy Ritchie's style with a plot with many twists and betrayal. However the film entertains but is absolutely predictable with unfunny characters. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Traição" ("Betrayal")

A Surprisingly Good Movie

[Smithee-8 · 2 July 2000]

O.K., So it won't win any awards. But those who have seen this have got to admit that it's a pretty good piece of work. The story is better than passable and the action level keeps ratcheting up. Add some very low-rent characters with dead-on casting, plus Timothy Dalton (Bond, James Bond...) doing quite a job as a crooked country sheriff. Icing on the cake is some top notch camera work. Plop down on the couch with a cold six within easy reach, kick back and enjoy.

LATE-NIGHT B-MOVIE FUN WITH A HILARIOUS JIM BELUSHI

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 27 November 2020]

James Belushi has always been a favourite of mine since i was young & was obsessed with watching his Red Heat & K-9 films on video growing up. Belushi was always a very funny & sarcastic comical actor but who couldn't also do good drama too just watch his outstanding performance in GANG RELATED, but as a very physical comedy actor he was truly great fun to watch & i still consider his Cop Comedy Thriller K-9 (1989) & his Action Cop Thriller RED HEAT (1988) as two of my all time favourite films!!! Belushi is Hilarious & underrated in my opinion.

Made Men is a very funny, witty & action-packed Crime-Comedy-Thriller above a snitch named Bill Manucci aka: The Mouth (Belushi) who is an Ex-mobster hiding out under witness protection in a little peaceful & quiet Rural South Carolina "Redneck" town until a gang of Mobsters show up to catch him & steal back the 12 million he stole from a big time Chicago Gangster named "The Skipper" & all hell breaks loose. That's the basic plot to a very well written caper that's full of fun twists & crazy characters such as a corrupted Sheriff Dex, played by Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights) who is having so much fun playing an evil Villain for once & a bunch of local Rednecks that look like they stepped out of "Deliverance" & that's humorously said by Belushi lol & we have the group of useless wannabe Gangsters that includes a really great performance from Michael Beach who is funny & can do great action but it's Jim Belushi that is the best part of this crazy flick that reminded me of a 70's or 80's type of film with it's style, now Belushi is hilarious as the very mouthy & cunning Bill & comes out with so much hilarious one liners & sarcastic comments i couldn't stop laughing, Belushi is a comic genius & shines once again here even if it's a Low-budget DTV flick, Belushi made the really good sequel K-911 around the same time as this in 1999 & i loved that Cheesy, funny feelgood flick & here with MADE MEN he's great again. The look of Made Men is really vibrant colours & i liked that with its bright green for the trees & bright blue for the sky & bright orange & yellow for the many explosions it's all nice to look at & i liked the old skool blues music & the overall tone here is simply to have a good fun time & i did. All in all, MADE MEN is a very entertaining & easy watch with plenty of hilarious moments & tons of stylish John Woo style action sequences & at the centre of it all a hilarious & on top comedic form, JIM BELUSHI. For a low-budget B-movie this is simply a nice piece of late-night entertainment

Pretty Good

[Bruno_Ganz · 7/10 · 26 May 2005]

I bought this movie a few days ago, and thought that it would be a pretty shitty film. But when i popped it into the DVD-player, it surprised me in a very good way. James Belushi plays very well as Bill "The Mouth" Manuccie. But especially Timothy Dalton plays a very good roll as the Sheriff. The 'end' scene, in the house of Bill is very excellent, good camera-work, nice dialogues and very good acting. Bill "The Mouth" Manuccie has stolen 12 Million Dollars from the Mafia. Together with his wife he lives in South-Carolina in a witness protection program. But the Mafia tracks him down, and wants the 12 Million Dollar. Bill can only trust the only person he knows inside out, himself.

WOW!

[tcmaya · 1/10 · 4 October 2002]

It is so rare that I get to rate a movie without having some reservation as to whether I should have gone up one or down one but this one.....Did the explosion rate a notch higher, or one down because my brain hurt trying to CREATE a plot. No, THIS ONE....yeah, a solid, no brainer.....ONE/ten

Tough gangster flick with lots of chases, lots of shootouts and terrific bad guys.

[imseeg · 7/10 · 18 July 2022]

Recommended for the fans of Jim Belushi or Timothy Dalton, who plays a terrific bad guy as a crooked sherrif.

The good: this is some heck of non stop shootout flick, with over the top shootouts and lots of chases. Everything a grown boy needs.

Any bad? It's a straightforward shootout gangster movie so dont expect Oscar winning dramatic scenes.

There are some nice surprises in the plot though and there are several good dry jokes by Jim Belushi as well, to keep it lighthearted.

Recommended for those who simply want a nonstop shootout movie.

It's worthy of a bit more attention than the mere 23 reviews it got...

The story: Jim Belushi stole money from the mob and now the mob is about to retaliate with a vengeance.

An action/comedy no-brainer for audiences with no brains.

[=G= · 5/10 · 9 March 2001]

"Made Men" is the kind of flick where the shoot-outs expend more ammunition than the shooters could carry. It's the kind of flick where an auto gas tank explodes like a case of dynamite, not 10 gallons of gasoline. It's the kind of flick where a Brit plays a red-neck sheriff with both accents prevalent in his speech. It's the kind of flick where a guy pulls a gun which hasn't been fired and there's smoke coming from the muzzle. It's the kind of flick you'll want to miss unless you're 14 and male.

Lousy and ridiculous

[rex-10 · 2/10 · 9 February 2001]

Right away, this film was ridiculous. Not that it didn't have redeeming aspects… For example, the best thing about this film was the beautiful background scenery. Anyone not living on the East Coast should know the South doesn't have beautiful mountains like those found in the West. I knew it was Utah right off the bat, but perhaps Dalton couldn't suppress his English accent, so they had to excuse it by saying this was a southern town. Subverting his accent into a Southern one was easier. Sure the film has plot twists, but its phony sense of place was something I couldn't get past. It's not like Utah doesn't have meth labs... so why the writers thought it necessary to pretend it was in the South is beyond me.

One other thing in action pictures always puzzles me. Why do they always make the "cocking" sound effect when the character pulls out an automatic handgun? It seemed every other sound effect in this movie was a "chuk-chich" signifying a 9mm was loaded and ready to fire. Of course, the weapons already had rounds chambered so this was unnecessary.

Lastly, the pyrotechnics were WAY over the top. But hey, this film was targeted to a certain 'market segment' I suppose... It's too bad. Each of the actors can act, but this film was lame.

Pretty Entertaining for a HBO Flick

[Dr Pep · 8/10 · 13 June 1999]

This movie surprised me, it had good one-liners and laughs, + a nonstop action-packed storyline with tons of gun action and explosions. This movie surprisingly had a lot of good twists and turns. The plot is solid despite what others may think, it kept my interest the whole time right up till the very end. In conclusion; this is a great way for an action movie buff to spend time on.

About Made Men

[Eze8199 · 1/10 · 7 June 2002]

It was just a terrible movie. No one should waste their time. Go see something else. This movie is, without a doubt, one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. If you want to see a good movie, don't see Made Men.

Great Fun.

[Rakesh Kumar · 15 April 2002]

If you are the tight-reared highbrow type of audience. Feggettaboutit! If you just looking for fun, not bothering where your brain is at that time, its the right movie. You could call it an action movie, or just plain simple shoot-em-up. Whatever it is, you are in for some great fun.

A note about the actors. James Belushi has long stepped off his famous (or is he infamous) late brother's shadow and have proven to be a competent action star. He got his own gift for comedy, and in this film he makes full use of it. Timothy Dalton (one of my favourite Bond) plays a red-neck sheriff here. His southern accent is convincing here and there, but if you have your ears perked up like a dog, and with a knowledge that he is a Welsh actor, you might look for and find mistakes. Don't do it! Just relax and enjoy.

Absolute rubbish.

[Keith-196 · 2/10 · 29 September 2001]

So this was an HBO "Made for TV Movie" eh? Is that an excuse for such a pathetic plot and terrible acting? Such a shame to see Jim Belushi reduced to a role so repetitive (shot at, survived, lies, beaten up, survives, shot at, lies and so ad infinitum. Call that a script? As for the Brits, embarrassing to see Timothy Dalton's pathetic (or was he just taking the p***, depends how much he was paid I guess?) attempt at a Southern Sheriff). As for that other Brit, the bleached blond one, what a w***er! There is a trend towards glorifying these "English speaking" (sic) super-violent thugs lately, perhaps thanks to Mr. Madonna's two movies succeed in entertaining and justify the violence by skillful use of irony and humour, like Pulp Fiction does. However, this movie discredits and devalues the genre. definately one to miss.

Made Guns

[smashattack · 2/10 · 21 January 2002]

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".

Sit back and enjoy

[CharltonBoy · 8/10 · 4 August 1999]

What a good film! Made Men is a great action movie with lots of twists and turns. James Belushi is very good as an ex hood who has stolen 12 million from the boss who has to fend of the gangsters , hillbillies his wife and the local sheriff( Timothy Dalton).you wont be disappointed, jump on board and enjoy the ride. 8 out of 10

Bang-bang-bang. All noise and no brains!

[barnabyrudge · 17 October 2003]

Made Men is a violent, twist-laden thriller which, though made for TV, has about it the feel of a theatrical release. The countless explosions and gunfights, plus the big-name cast, hint at a big budget production. Even the opening titles sequence is quirky.

The story tells of Bill Manucci (Belushi), an informant on the witness protection programme who has been relocated in a quiet, rural corner of America with his wife (Angel). He receives a mysterious tip-off warning him that he has been tracked down by some old associates, so he packs his wife off to L.A and prepares to face them. When the team of heavies arrive, Manucci leads them a merry dance, constantly lying, bluffing and provoking them as they put the squeeze on him to reveal where he's stashed $12 million that he stole from their boss. Later in the picture, other unpleasant types get in on the hunt for the money, like Steve Railsback's gun-toting hillbilly and Timothy Dalton's corrupt cop.

Dalton actually has the juiciest role in the film, delivering his dirty cop routine with lip-smacking relish. Belushi's character is quite hard to root for, since his tendency to lie-and-moan, lie-and-moan, lie-and-moan becomes irritating and repetitious. Michael Beach does well, though, as one of the heavies who may or may not be something other than what he claims.

Beyond the enjoyable performances, however, the film is somewhat ordinary. The snapping and snarling that passes for dialogue is uninspiring, the action scenes feel old-hat, and the plot twists aren't really as unexpected as they think they are. In fact, the film is familiar to the point of predictability. It's worth catching, I suppose, but it won't ever find its way onto anybody's top 100 list.

Pure Fun!

[chrichtonsworld · 8/10 · 30 December 2009]

This movie has everything you want from an action movie. Explosions,shootouts,bad guys and worse guys. It is fun to see James Belushi using his humor to get out of the trouble he has gotten himself in to since he stole 12 million dollars from the ultimate big boss "The Skipper. Does this sounds cheesy. Of course it is. But boy,did I have fun watching this movie. It is a whole lot better than all the direct to DVD garbage that is made nowadays. If you can get over the silly plot than you will find out that this movie has quite a few surprises in store. You could argue about the twists being predictable. But the fast pace of this movie doesn't give you time too think too much of them,which is a blessing since this movie is not about revealing the ultimate twist. But more about the journey to that moment. Only the title is a bit misleading and that could be the reason why so many people hated this movie. They probably expected a movie about mobsters in stead of some crooks double crossing each other. Pure fun!

amusing, good action and cheesy

[bb-74 · 10/10 · 2 August 2003]

i was hoping this was going to be good as a fan of timothy dalton's james bond and although it wasn't his deserved '3rd bond outing' it was a laugh. Belushi brought some good humour to his part and dalton hammed it up nicely, but was probably underused. his part was liked a camped up version of jack nicholson in a few good men. the other brit in it was a bit shocking, but overal it was a laugh.

What do you expect for a TVM? The Matrix?

[bob the moo · 20 September 2001]

While this is a HBO movie and you shouldn't expect much from it, it's often better than you think it will be. It's basically wants to be a gangster chase movie full of twists & turns and lots of high-octane action scenes. It gets close - all the actors do OK (despite some dodgy accents and rubbish dialogue), there are lots of twists but only a few of them are surprising. The action scenes are OK but they don't have any tension - basically everything just blows up and everyone has as many bullets as they need (some characters just keep reaching into their pockets for clip after clip of ammo).

This is a reasonable action movie if you see it for free on TV. If you see it for sale or rental then there's bound to be something better available.

Breathtaking, funny, brilliant

[Roderick-3 · 10/10 · 18 June 2000]

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

The exception to my rule...

[steve-545 · 28 December 1999]

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.