G-Men from Hell (2000)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Christopher Coppola

Writers:

Richard L. Albert (writer)
Mike Allred (comic strip)

Release Date:

7 December 2000 (Germany)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Adventure

Tagline:

The devil made them do it.

Plot:

Two G-Men, returning from hell, must perform good deeds to save themselves from a doomed fate.

Plot Keywords:

Hell | The Devil | Based On Comic Book | Femme Fatale | Comic

Cast

William Forsythe	...	Dean Crept
Tate Donovan	...	Mike Mattress
Bobcat Goldthwait	...	Buster Lloyd
Barry Newman	...	Greydon Lake
Zach Galligan	...	Dalton
Vanessa Angel	...	Gloria Lake
Paul Rodriguez	...	Winiford 'Weenie Man'
David Huddleston	...	Dr. Boifford
Kari Wuhrer	...	Marete Morrisey
Charles Fleischer	...	Martin / Pete
Gary Busey	...	Lt. Langdon
Steve Tom	...	Psychiatrist
Robert Goulet	...	The Devil
Gregory Sporleder	...	Cheetah Man
Frank McRae	...	Lester

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

98 min (Cinequest San Jose Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Sawmill Entertainment Corporation

Trivia:

Robert Goulet's last on screen role.

Quotes:

Dalton: Well you know it's uh, kinda common knowledge that you are a, uh, gay, that is to say homosexual man and I just want to say up front that I have absolutely no problem with it
Lt. Langdon: [grabs Dalton and slams him against the wall] I am a sadistic leather master homosexual and I will tease you sensibilities!

Does *everyone* named Coppola need to make movies???

G-MEN FROM HELL (2 outta 5 stars)

I *wanted* to like this movie, I really did... I've always been a great admirer of Mike Allred's comic book work... and this movie was based on an early, odd strip of his. The movie is actually pretty faithful to the "plot" of the original... even down to the nonsensical appearance of a superhero known as "Cheetah Man". There are a lot of familiar names in the cast (William Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait, Paul Rodriguez... and Robert Goulet as the devil). The story is about a pair of overly-zealous FBI agents who die, get sent to hell and escape back to earth so that they can do some good deeds and earn a place in heaven. Sounds like fun... but it just doesn't quite work. Director Christopher Coppola (yes, he's related to all those other Coppolas... go figure) likes to frame everything in weird angles reminiscent of the old "Batman" and "Monkees" TV shows... but filming shots from odd angles doesn't necessarily constitute a "stylish" film. The script doesn't have much going for it... outside of a few good lines (most of which probably came from the comic). The acting is either lamely amatuerish... or is too wildly over-the-top... with the exception of Forsythe who does a pretty good deadpan, hard-boiled tough guy and Gary Busey as a weird, gay cop. Sure, Robert Goulet playing the Devil is a pretty cool idea... but I don't think the execution exactly lives up to the promise. It's a nice enough movie if you are really into wacky, low budget, cult comedies... but it all sounds better on paper than it actually looks onscreen.