Review of Red Heat (1988) by Will C — 23 Jun 2008

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Captain Ivan Danko, a tough Russian cop sent to the Chicago to track down drug dealer/cop killer Viktor 'Rosta' Rostavili(Ed O'Ross, who plays the villain greatly). He is teamed with loud-mouthed, yet good cop Art Ridzic(James Belushi) in this buddy cop film full of action, some comedy, & some good one-liners from Schwarzenegger & Belushi. Directed by Walter Hill(48 Hrs., Another 48 hrs., The Warriors, Hard Times, etc). Score by James Horner(Commando, 48 hrs.) Also starring Larry Fishburne(sans boombox), the late Peter Boyle, Gina Gershon, Brion James, & Sven Ole-Thorson in a small part.

I think this Arnold classic is pretty overlooked. It has some great action in it. Arnold's acting is robotic, almost Terminatoresque but that has to do with his character. He still puts in a good job as Ivan Danko. I'm not typically a fan of James Belushi but he was kind of funny in this. He had some pretty hilarious one-liners & quotes. I thought Ed O'Ross was really good as Viktor. He was menacing yet cool. The end bus chase was pretty awesome as we got to see a game of chicken played with two buses. The bathhouse scene at the beginning was really unnecessary though. We do get to see some boobs & some ass but it's mainly sweaty dudes not wearing much working out.

Overall, a fun action-packed movie. Definitely overlooked & underrated. You can find the Lionsgate special edition for pretty cheap. It's definitely worth a purchase!