"I give up. This whole thing's very Russian."...( read more)one other than Walter Hill, who practically invented the buddy cop genre with his 1982 hit 48 Hrs. (which he directed and co-scripted). In spite of the ostensibly genius pairing of Arnie and James Belushi, this is just a standard genre film with violent action, a dash of cheesy one-liners, a generic police movie storyline, and nothing truly groundbreaking. Apart from a few changes, the plot is extremely similar to 48 Hrs. - right down to the hackneyed "outsider must prove himself" plot element.
By the time Red Heat was released, Arnold Schwarzenegger was already a well-established Hollywood star, and the mismatched buddy cop flick had become a popular action subgenre. And at the helm of Red Heat is n
The Schwarzenegger role in Red Heat is Russian policeman Captain Ivan Danko. After witnessing the death of his partner at the hands of drug boss Viktor Rostavili (O'Ross), Danko is sent to Chicago where Rostavili is waiting to be extradited. Upon his arrival in America he's assigned two LAPD escorts, and develops a rocky friendship with detective Art Ridzik (Belushi). But the routine extradition turns into a bloody mess as Rostavili escapes and Ridzik's partner ends up in the morgue. With the dangerous Rostavili on the streets, Ridzik and Danko must overcome their mutual distrust and cultural differences in order to bring him to justice.
In case you haven't already guessed, there aren't many surprises in store and the plot is both thin and familiar. Throughout the course of the proceedings, Ridzik and Danko become fast friends. The bond develops partly because Rostavili killed both men's partners, and also because they're men - they share the same ideology. Once the hunt for Rostavili begins, the film offers nothing but a solid chain of action. While it's endowed with an abundance of exciting set-pieces, Red Heat is unable to rank as one of the best of its genre simply because it's quite undistinguished, and the merger of action and comedy fails to gel. It certainly delivers action, but the comedy is virtually non-existent.
Red Heat is one of a string of '80s movies produced by Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna for Carolco Pictures, and those familiar with their other efforts (the Rambo and Terminator movies) can expect the same "feel" - that is, the action is violent and gritty, it's adamantly old-school, and it's very watchable. Director Walter Hill has crafted some terrific action sequences for which he deserves high praise. The final showdown in particular (which contains Arnie playing chicken against Rostavili with buses) is wonderfully over-the-top. Red Heat is also the first movie to be filmed in Moscow's Red Square - the filmmakers failed to obtain a permit, so they dropped in for a one-day shoot with a camera, the required cast members and two crew members.
As we all should know, Arnold Schwarzenegger has never landed a role based on amazing acting abilities. In fact, if there's an actor who's picked on extensively for lack of talent, it's the prestigious Governator. Awful Russian accent aside, he's perfectly suited to the character of Ivan Danko - it's the role of an emotionless Russian officer with broken English; giving Schwarzenegger the chance to submit another of his brilliant physical performances. Then there are the action sequences - Arnie nails them all. Sure, he brings nothing new to the table, but Arnie is Arnie, none more so than throughout the late '80s. What you see is exactly what you get, and what you get is a rock-solid action performance from a rock solid action professional.
Belushi hasn't been mentioned yet, and that's for a good reason. As previously mentioned, while Red Heat is a perfectly serviceable and enjoyable switch-your-brain-off actioner, the comedy is generally flat (a few notable one-liners notwithstanding). The pairing of Schwarzenegger and Belushi (which echoes the Eddie Murphy/Nick Nolte partnership in 48 Hrs.) doesn't amount to much - it's without a necessary comic spark. Whenever the film focuses on the relationship between Danko and Ridzik, the pacing drags. To round out the cast there's the enormously appealing Peter Boyle (R.I.P.) as the police commander (whenever he raises his voice, it's impossible not to get images of Everybody Loves Raymond), the lovely Gina Gershon as the damsel in distress, the menacing Ed O'Ross as Rostavili, and a young Laurence Fishburne who makes a brief appearance as Ridzik's superior officer.
Red Heat (which arrived 3 years after Sylvester Stallone gave the almighty Soviet Union a bloody nose in Rocky IV) works as a superficially entertaining action-thriller. It doesn't deliver a great deal of comedy (an ingredient that could have ensured this film a place in the buddy movie hall of fame), but what it does deliver is a bunch of pulse-pounding action set-pieces. This is a must-see for Arnie's most devoted fans.
Red Heat
40%
liked it
Red Heat
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brent Jennings, Brion James, Ed O Ross, Ed O'Ross
After scoring a hit with the Eddie Murphy-Nick Nolte cop thriller 48 Hours, director Walter Hill returned to the buddy formula with this half-ridiculous, half-invigorating action flick about humorless...( read more
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Id: 10902635
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Recent Reviews
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November 25, 2009"I give up. This whole thing's very Russian."
...( read more)
By the time Red Heat was released, Arnold Schwarzenegger was already a well-established Hollywood star, and the mismatched buddy cop flick had become a popular action subgenre. And at the helm of Red Heat is n -
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July 18, 2009Great comedy action cop movie, Arnie in his kick ass prime and Belushi at his short lived peak. This is quite amusing in places, not hilarious but still good. Arnie is actually pretty good as a by the books rigid Russian cop, his hair is wicked :) and Belushi is a pretty good par...( read more)
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February 10, 2008A hard-boiled action-thriller laced with great humor. An awsome film. Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi are teriffic, bringing on great laughs to there play off each other chemistry. They work exceptablely well together.
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August 25, 2007Well, what is it about 80's action flicks that have that unusual charm to them?
Walter Hill is one of my favourite 80's directors, the man behind 48 Hours and the classic, The Warriors, and this time he gets Arnie and Jim Belushi teaming up for another buddy cop fair. It was i...( read more) -
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October 27, 2009Good movie. Red Heat may be your typical 80's action movie, but it's very entertaining. Arnie and James Belushi are a great double act, and I loved the re-pour between the two of them. Director Walter Hill is no stranger to this genre, and with Red Heat he packed it with just eno...( read more)
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October 22, 2009I love Schwartze :) he`s movies are always good. Loved this one as well.
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