G-Men From Hell

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OFFBEAT AND HUMOROUS, 2005-01-21
G-MEN from HELL is based on the comic created by Michael Allred and published by Dark Horse Comics. Director Christopher Coppola utilizes a comic book frame for most of the movie and some brilliantly realized colors. You really feel sometimes like you're watching an animated comic book. The story follows two FBI agents who are murdered and sent to hell. They escape and come back to earth as detectives, hoping to do good deeds to earn their way to Heaven. Their first client is a blonde bombshell whose wealthy husband ends up dead. From there on, we're treated to a mishmash of odd characters, including a fellow dead person who comes to earth and steals the magic crystal that our two heroes stole from the devil. We also have a strange puppet and its master, and a kindly doctor who robs graves to create genetically engineered people. br /The movie is strange and different, oftentimes very humorous in its delivery. Tate Donovan steals the show as agent Mike Mattress, whose nerdy glasses belie a pretty tough, buff agent. His delivery is dead on, as is William Forsythe as his partner Dean Crept, whose deadpan delivery is reminiscent of Jack Webb's Dragnet. Vanessa Angel is an appropriately dumb blond, and Kari Wuhrer is an appropriately not so dumb brunette. Add Gary Busey as a homosexual cop who suddenly disappears from the movie; Zach Galligan (Gremlins) as a by the book cop with no experience other than nepotism; Paul Rodriguez as Winfrid, the other hellish escapee; Charles Fleischer as the kindly doctor; Barry Newman as the murdered hubby; and none other than Robert Goulet who is surprisingly effective as Satan. br /G-MEN FROM HELL was made on a shoestring budget, but it does well in capturing the flavor of the cult comic.