Malone

Malone, in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and fuboTV, takes its characters as seriously as it takes its plot. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Burt Reynolds — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Start it on Amazon Prime Video whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason Malone keeps coming up in conversation. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Malone earns every emotional beat it goes for. Erstwhile C.I.A. Assassin Richard Malone hopes for a tranquil retirement in the placid Pacific Northwest, but what he gets is a rumble with a right-wing extremist plotting a secret revolution. Burt Reynolds and Cliff Robertson lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. Malone came out in 1987. What elevates Malone is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Malone. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Burt Reynolds's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.

Malone was released in 1987, directed by Harley Cokeliss. The full 92-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.