Review of Raw Deal (1986) by Lisa S — 14 Feb 2017

In a remote wooded cabin, a mob informant is under protection by the FBI. They are ambushed by a hit squad who brutally slaughter the bodyguards and the witness. One of the agents killed is Blair Shannon, son of FBI Agent Harry Shannon (Darren McGavin), who vows revenge. After capturing a man posing as a motorcycle cop, small-town sheriff Mark Kaminsky (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes home to his alcoholic wife Amy (Blanche Baker), who resents what their lives have been reduced to and in a drunken fit throws a cake at him. Kaminsky once worked for the FBI, but five years ago he brutally beat a suspect who "molested, murdered, and mutilated" a young girl. He was given the option to "resign or be prosecuted" by ambitious prosecutor Marvin Baxter (Joe Regalbuto), who is now Special Federal Prosecutor heading up a committee investigating the dealings of Luigi Patrovita (Sam Wanamaker), the strongest of the Chicago Outfit Dons. Shannon calls Kaminsky in with an unsanctioned and possibly illegal assignment: to infiltrate Patrovita's organization and "tear it up". Harry cannot do anything officially, and the FBI has a leak who has been getting agents killed, which is why Kaminsky must go in secret. Harry dangles the prospect of Kaminsky being reinstated with the FBI, leading to Kaminsky faking his own death in a chemical plant explosion and posing as convicted felon Joseph P. Brenner. He manages to get an audience with Patrovita's right-hand man Paulo Rocca (Paul Shenar), and convinces them of his worth by harassing Martin Lamanski (Steven Hill), a rival mob boss who is trying to move in on his former boss Patrovita's territory. While at Patrovita's casino, hidden in a basement level of a high class hotel, he makes the acquaintance of Monique (Kathryn Harrold), who works for Rocca's top lieutenant Max Keller (Robert Davi). Kaminsky continues to work his way into the good graces of the Patrovita family, including devising a plan that recovers $100 million of heroin and cash seized by the feds from one of Patrovita's hideouts and simultaneously assisting in Lamanski's assassination. Kaminsky is playing a dangerous game and he needs to take down Patrovita before he is exposed himself...

The film received a negative reception. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Sheila Benson began, "Has it come to this? That we can feel vaguely cheered that Raw Deal (citywide), where the bodies again pile up like cordwood, is a better made movie than Cobra?" However, she praised Schwarzenegger, saying that his strength as an actor is "not that he can toss grown men over ceiling beams, but that he has a vein of sweetness and self-deprecation that no amount of mayhem can obliterate ... it has shone from him since Pumping Iron, it has allowed him to surmount silly and unwise pieces of action (such as the drunk scenes in one of the Conans and here), and even his own awkwardness as an actor".

"Raw Deal" is yet another classic Arnold Schwarzenegger 80s actioneer vehicle with a storyline that doesn´t really have that many surprises even if they are trying to give Arnold a two way character set up to create some sort of dynamic. You are hardly convinced, but to be honest I couldn´t care less, it´s a Schwarzenegger movie. "Raw Deal" has been directed with a confident hand by John Irvin with one-liners, full on violent action with shootouts and explosions, harden mobsters, plot holes, slightly over the top acting, a beautiful female lead in the shape of the stunning Kathryn Harrold (however her role is a bit underdeveloped), nice cinematography of Chicago and the film is partly in routine action mode which keeps it a bit static. Arnold Schwarzenegger only agreed to star in this picture after much haggling in exchange for dissolving his multi-picture agreement with Dino De Laurentiis. He had one picture left with the producer and was actually very interested in doing Total Recall (1990), but De Laurentiis objected, feeling that he was not suitable for the lead role of Quaid. Instead, Patrick Swayze was already cast before the bankruptcy. It´s not Arnold´s best film, but I still like "Raw Deal" since it has a nostalgic 80s value for me.