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RED HEAT is another of those buddy-buddy cop movies that came out in the late '80s after the success of 48 HOURS and LETHAL WEAPON. This one has a good director and cast, with Walter Hill calling the shots in a crisp, stylish, hard-headed way, and Schwarzenegger and Belushi creating sparks as the robotic cop and foul-mouthed joker respectively.
The plot is lightweight and simple, following the detectives as they chase down a villainous crook, and to be fair it follows the action template of many an '80s films – there's plenty of shoot-outs, a few fist fights, and even a couple of vehicle chases thrown in for good measure. It's book-ended by a couple of well-remembered sequences (the sauna showdown that begins the movie and the game of coach chicken that finishes it) although my favourite moment sees Schwarzenegger blowing away a criminal gang in the grotty corridors of a sleazy hotel.
Aside from the central twosome, there are roles for Peter Boyle and a youthful Laurence Fishburne as top cops, Gina Gershon as a breathtakingly beautiful woman caught up in the crimes, Pruitt Taylor Vince as a hotel owner and Brion James as a sleazy crim (what else?). THE HIDDEN's Ed O'Ross is on good form as a thoroughly despicable villain. Although this is far from Schwarzenegger's best film, it passes the time amiably enough and is a lot stronger than many of his later efforts.
score 6/10
Leofwine_draca 25 October 2016
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3568509/ |
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1-12-2019 19:16:45
