Red Heat Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1988

Red Heat is a buddy cop movie that pairs a tough-as-nails Soviet detective with an out-of-control American cop as they attempt to track down a notorious drug dealer and murderer through the grimy streets of Chicago. Featuring the talents of Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi, Red Heat stands out as a fun and mindless 80's Cold War flick.

Director Walter Hill, best known for his other buddy cop movie 48 Hours, decided to tap into the ever reliable mismatched partners formula for another lighthearted action film, and while Red Heat really didn't bring anything new to the table as far as story, it definitely capitalized on the strengths and charisma of its two main actors, Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi.

Captain Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger), one of Moscow's top police offers, is tracking down a ruthless drug lord, Viktor Rostavili (Ed O'Ross). When a police sting goes bad, Danko's partner is killed and Viktor escapes to the United States, but U.S. authorities in Chicago manage to capture him. The Soviet leadership is determined to salvage their country's pride; they in no way wish for the debacle to being public knowledge among other countries of the world. As such, they send Danko to Chicago with strict commands to bring him back to Russia, sharing no details of Viktor's crimes to the Americans.

Sergeant Art Ridzik (James Belushi), a wisecracking cop with a generally irreverent attitude, is assigned to serve as Danko's host while he's in the country and ensure a safe and easy transfer. But it wouldn't be much of a movie if things did go through smoothly and easily, would it? So of course a band of Viktor's henchmen mount a successful interception and whisk their leader away to safety. Now it's up to the mismatched partners to investigate Viktor's secret organization and track him down once more.

I can hear many of you thinking to yourselves now, "Been there, done that!" Yeah, you're right. The story isn't terribly deep (though it does have more mystery and depth than many other buddy cop movies), but since when does an 80's action film require an intricate story? Just whipping out the machine guns and explosives and blowing stuff up is enough to put a popcorn flick on the right track, and Red Heat does this while injecting some levity into the script.

Let's talk performances for a bit. Arnold Schwarzenegger lends his character all the emotional response of his lifeless robot in the Terminator. But then I suppose that's to be expected since we all know those evil, communist Soviets were real pills. Just look at Danko's Red compatriot, Ivan Drago, in Rocky IV if you need more evidence; personality weren't the Russians' strong point (at least on film!). But hey, no one plays the stoic antihero as well as Schwarzenegger… so it ends up being a lot of fun.

Anyone that is a fan of James Belushi's standard characters will instantly recognize what he brings to the table: a devilish charisma and defiance of the law. Watching the animated Chicago cop sling jokes and barbs at his composed partner throughout the film is a lot of fun. Walter Hill knew what he was doing when he paired these two for the main roles, because their contrasting styles really creates a delightfully odd synergy throughout Red Heat.

I found the first half of the film to slow down periodically, which would have been a disaster were it not for the constant repartee exchanged between Danko and Ridzik. You just never know what the two will argue about next, but it's generally fun whatever the subject, such as an incident where Danko was forced to defend his manhood by convincing Ridzik that owning a parakeet is not sissy.

As with any good 80's action flick, when the mayhem and destruction begins it hits with full force. Red Heat offers everything from hails of gunfire to an extremely entertaining game of chicken between Danko and Viktor. Oh yes, I forgot to mention – the heck with cars, these fellows played their game with huge passenger buses, much to the dismay of Ridzik, who was along for the ride as he discovered the hard way that his Russian partner was actually nuttier than him.

It should come as no surprise that by the film's conclusion Danko and Ridzik have worked out their differences and become friends. There is no need for them to harbor resentment against one another despite their countries' political differences, because as Danko puts it, they're "both cops, not politicians." Whoa… and with that deep philosophical nugget Red Heat comes to a conclusion.

This isn't one of the 80's best action flicks, but it's pretty darn good thanks to the efforts of the two main stars. If you're a fan of buddy cop movies or lighthearted 80's action films, chances are good you'll enjoy Red Heat as much as I did.

Movie rating: 7 stars

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