Made Men (1999)

While working for the mob, Bill "The Mouth" Mannuci, stole $12 million dollars from them and turned over information to the FBI about the man he stole the money from, the mysterious "... See full summary »

Director:

Louis Morneau

Writers:

Robert Franke, Alfred Gough,

Stars:

James Belushi, Michael Beach, Timothy Dalton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Belushi	...	Bill Manucci
Michael Beach	...	Miles
Timothy Dalton	...	Sheriff Dex Drier
Steve Railsback	...	Kyle
Carlton Wilborn	...	Felix
Vanessa Angel	...	Debra
Jamie Harris	...	Royce
David O'Donnell	...	Nick
Tim Kelleher	...	Deputy Conley
Skip Carlson	...	Bobby
Susan Isaacs	...	Darla
Oscar Rowland	...	Old Timer
Chad Lillywhite	...	Nathan
Cissy Wellman	...	Frances
Don Shanks	...	Caleb

Storyline

While working for the mob, Bill "The Mouth" Mannuci, stole $12 million dollars from them and turned over information to the FBI about the man he stole the money from, the mysterious "Skipper". Now 4 of the "Skipper's" men have tracked down Bill to his new home in a small country town. Bill has been warned of this and sends his wife Debra away. Captured by the "Skipper's" men, Bill is forced at gunpoint to take them to the missing $12 million. But as they make their way to the money, Bill escapes and the "Skipper's" men end up chasing him into a backwoods crystal-meth lab, where a gunbattle ensues after on of the "Skipper's" men opens fire. As Bill makes his escape the lab burns to the ground, incurring the wrath of the labs owner, who is owed money by Bill. Soon Bill finds himself being chased by not only the "Skipper's" men, but by the crystal-meth lab owner and his men. And how does the sheriff of the town fit into the equation?

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Plot Keywords:

independent film

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Taglines:

Think Bad. Get Bad.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Embervadászok

Filming Locations:

Provo, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Decade Pictures, Made Men Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Debra's body moves on the couch despite being dead. Pay attention to her hair while Bill's moving toward Miles.

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Quotes

Bill Manucci: Do you really think I'm stupid enough to kill a fed agent?
Miles: As a matter of fact, yes I do!

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Connections

References Titanic (1997)

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Soundtracks

"I'll never fall in love again"
Dionne Warwick

User Reviews

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

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.