''G-Men from Hell'' (released on DVD as ''Michael Allred's G-Men from Hell'') is a 2000 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Christopher Coppola and written by Robert Cooper,

Richard L. Albert Richard Albert was president of the award-winning motion picture advertising agency Design Projects, Inc. from 1978 to 1992. Clients included Universal Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and Columbia Pictures, as well as major independe ...

, and Nicholas Johnson. It is based on Michael Allred's comic book series ''Grafik Muzik'' published by

Caliber Press Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is ranked as one of America ...

. It stars William Forsythe and

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in ''The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

as two violent FBI agents who die, go to hell, and escape back to Earth, where they become embroiled in a mystery.

Plot

When corrupt FBI agents Dean Crept and Mike Mattress die, they are sent to hell, though they believe it must be an error. They escape by stealing a magical crystal from

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

that sends them back to Earth. Determined to buy their way into heaven, the two perform good deeds despite their ignorance of morality. They set up a private investigation business, and Greydon Lake and his wife, Gloria, both hire them to investigate the other. They attempt to solve the mystery of their own murders and evade the police, led by Lt. Langdon and Det. Dalton, who suspect them of killing their informant Buster. Meanwhile, Weenie Man, a shady informant also sent to hell, tells Satan about their escape; Satan gives the G-Men two days to complete their investigations and return his magic crystal. Along the way, they become involved with the plots of a mad scientist, Dr. Boifford, who resurrects Buster, and a superhero by the name of Cheetah Man.

Cast

* William Forsythe as Dean Crept *

as Mike Mattress *

Bobcat Goldthwait Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait (born May 26, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, known for his black comedy stand-up act, delivered through an energetic stage persona with an unusual raspy and high-pitched voice. ...

as Buster Lloyd *

Barry Newman Barry Foster Newman (born November 7, 1938) is an American actor of stage, screen and television known for his portrayal of Kowalski in ''Vanishing Point'', and for his title role in the 1970s television series ''Petrocelli''. He has been nominat ...

as Greydon Lake *

Zach Galligan Zachary Wolfe Galligan (born February 14, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Billy Peltzer in the comedy-horror films ''Gremlins'' (1984) and '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990). Early life and education Galligan was ...

as Det. Dalton * Vanessa Angel as Gloria Lake * Paul Rodriguez as Weenie Man *

David Huddleston David William Huddleston (September 17, 1930 – August 2, 2016) was an American actor. An Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston had a prolific television career, and appeared in many films including:'' Rio Lobo'', ''Blazing Saddles'', '' Crime Buster ...

as Dr. Boifford *

Kari Wuhrer Kari Samantha Wuhrer (born April 28, 1967) is an American actress, model, and singer. Wuhrer began her career as a teenager, and is best known for her time as a cast member on MTV's ''Remote Control'', as well as her roles as Maggie Beckett in ...

as Marete *

Charles Fleischer Charles Fleischer (born August 27, 1950) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and writer, best known for appearing in films such as ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', '' The Polar Express'', '' Rango'', '' ...

as Martin/Pete *

Gregory Sporleder Gregory Sporleder (born April 14, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker, notable for playing military men in films such as '' The Rock'', '' Black Hawk Down'' and ''Renaissance Man'', as well as Calvin Norris in the HBO series ''True Blood''. ...

as Cheetah Man *

Gary Busey Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...

as Lt. Langdon *

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Canad ...

Production

Production began on October 24, 1999, in Los Angeles. It finished post-production in March 2000. Allred had no involvement in the film's production, though he appeared in a cameo.

Release

A preview of ''G-Men from Hell'' screened at the 2000 San Diego Comic Con. Advanced Film released it in Germany, and Framework Entertainment released it on DVD in the US in 2002.

Reception

Dennis Harvey of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it a goofy, nonsensical mystery that is somewhat entertaining. Nathan Rabin of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...

'' wrote, "''G-Men''s bare-bones production values are forgivable, but its lack of wit and creativity isn't." Rachel Morgan of ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...

'' rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "The film is super campy, but fun to watch." At

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

, Earl Cressey rated it 2/5 stars and Bill Gibron rated it 1.5/5 stars; both called it boring and poorly acted. In ''Fervid Filmmaking'', author and filmmaker Mike Watt wrote that the film is "the epitome of a Kitchen Sink movie", in which a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

throws in every bizarre idea they can imagine.

References

External links

* * {{Dark Horse Comics films 2000 films 2000 black comedy films American black comedy films American independent films Films about police officers Films based on American comics Films set in hell 2000 comedy films 2000 independent films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films