Give 'Em Hell Malone (2009)

I found out about this movie because Chris Yen was in it. You know, that girl that was in Adventures of Johnny Tao. It's one of the few movies she's been in (and one of the best I've ever seen).

I really wasn't expecting anything special, but from the first second of the movie I was hooked. The action choreography was brutal. Granted, the entire movie had maybe as much additional action time as the intro sequence itself, but it was a sublime hybrid of noire and regular action a la Max Payne (but the real kind of Payne - not the game-turned-movie bullshit), with beautiful women, and blood, and a flare for theatrics and myth. It's fire. It sparked something. It inspired. It introduced the violence in an almost poetic way, with class, like Sin City or the games we play.

Granted, some of the villains may have been a bit too long-winded in their speeches, but I love everything else about it. All except the ending... though it's suitable, in a way. There's bits of comedy mixed in with the drama, and once you've mixed everything together: you've got a pretty good blend! Styleful violence, and a messy plot that goes from one crook to the next and sometimes seems to confuse just to confuse, just like the witty moments, or the villainous character impressions, or the intrigue, or Evelyn does just that. Thomas Jane, Elsa Pataky, French Stewart, Ving Rhames and Gregory Harrison make up the main cast, and they're all great. Great watch.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle