DVDs in Review

Red Heat (Walter Hill, 1988)

Title: Red Heat (Walter Hill, 1988)

Release date: June 28 2010

Certificate: 18

Format: Blu-ray

RRP: £19.99

Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by Dave Lancaster

‘Red Heat’ isn’t a great film, but it’s a great watch. Much of the reason for this isn’t the 80s dream casting of lazily sarcastic Jim Belushi and overbearingly strong Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead roles.  What pulls the film past its clichéd 80s action fare is its director Walter Hill.

With a frantic pace, stylised shots, great use of score and relentless energy that he demonstrated so well in ’48 Hrs’, ‘Southern Comfort’ and ‘Extreme Prejudice’, Hill takes us along for the increasingly silly ride that makes for a fine addition to the overly saturated buddy/cop genre that boomed around the time.

The film’s tagline sums up the whole film: “Moscow's toughest detective. Chicago's craziest cop. There's only one thing worse than making them mad. Making them partners.”. Belushi pretty much rehashes his ‘K9’ role and Schwarzenegger offers a surprisingly solid Russian accent (better than Connery’s in ‘The Hunt for Red October’, although that’s not saying much) in a breezy plot line that sees them both chasing a (forgettable) Russian drug dealer around the windy city.

Schwarzenegger is a better light comedian than he lets on in other roles, and teamed with Belushi their opposing styles work well. Belushi’s talent comes in his delivery and timing. He makes his lines sound improvised. He quips his way through this picture, with Schwarzenegger offering brilliantly wooden support.

The action itself is excellently filmed, kinetic and violent but without ever being gratuitous. ‘Red Heat’ has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek, never taking itself too seriously. The result is that instead of seeming unbearably dated, it’s actually more nostalgic. It’s a guilty pleasure.