Detective Malone (1991) User Reviews

absolutely awful to watch

[georgeszaslavsky · 4/10 · 4 February 2014]

This film should never have been made. It has a lot of scenes from Black cobra1 and 2 and it doesn't make any sense. The leader of the bikers was supposed to be dead and now he is back with his crew in the role of djihadists. We also see the well remembered scene of the phone call where the Iranian Doctor speaks with someone but in Black Cobra2, he was killed, so that didn't make any sense to put him back. Third scene is the home of Malone which was invaded in the first black cobra by a biker member, we see the same scene here but with the bad guy playing the role of djihadist, again another non sense. And the final scene where the djihadist leader seen as the biker leader in black cobra1 confronts Malone's colleague, wasn't he supposed to be dead in the end of Black Cobra 1?Do not watch it, it is a terrible movie, 4 out of 10

Cut from out takes and other films this film is poor excuse to continue a poor series

[dbborroughs · 3/10 · 5 January 2010]

The producers of the Black Cobra series created an odd patch work film out of out takes and reused footage because star Fred Williamson didn't want anything to do with another entry in the series (I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with it either). The resulting film is marginally okay film, at least by the low standard of the Black Cobra series, about a gang of terrorists who kidnap an electronics engineer and hold him hostage and demand he create a security system for their compound, or something (I stopped paying attention after a certain point). Williamson's Malone is brought in in order to rescue the man and take out the bad guys. The fact that this film is "okay" tells you how poor the rest of the series is. Actually the new footage concerning the bad guys isn't bad and is what keeps the film watchable in a good/bad sort of way. In a weird way it's bad enough to be good and off center enough to make you want to watch it in order to figure out what is going on. The real problem here is the Williamson material which is just awful. Much of Williamson's performance is shots of him standing against walls not saying anything while people talk to him or taking part in really bad action sequences. It's embarrassing and had this been a real performance and not one that was put together from clips I would have withdrawn my membership from the Fred Williamson Fan Club. In all honesty this movie is a bad movie lovers dream, for anyone else this film is going to be a trial by fire. In a weird way I can completely understand why up until recently this film never got a release in the United States (it would be a losing proposition). Even fans of the series can skip this one.

Detective Malone serves as a fitting end to the Black Cobra series

[kevin_robbins · 3/10 · 20 November 2023]

I recently watched Detective Malone (1991) on a random streaming service. The plot revolves around terrorists kidnapping a top defense specialist, leading to the unconventional Detective Malone's involvement when traditional methods fail.

Directed by Umberto Lenzi (Ghosthouse) and featuring Fred Williamson (Dusk till Dawn), Bruno Bilotta (Equalizer 3), Bobby Rhodes (Demons), Maurice Poli (Five Dolls for an August Moon), and Angelo Ragusa (Quantum of Solace).

Fred Williamson delivers an awesome performance, making him easy to root for, and the shootouts and action scenes are enjoyable. However, the storyline and dialogue are cliché, and the acting feels made-for-television. On the positive side, the soundtrack is decent.

In conclusion, Detective Malone serves as a fitting end to the Black Cobra series. I would rate this a 3.5-4/10 and suggest skipping it due to its predictable storyline and made-for-TV quality acting.