ridiculous rating

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

No introduction needed here in regards to the story - at least there's quite a bit of humor to evenly match the brilliant action scenes, not many films are like this, and that makes one fact clear : it's a recipe for a very good script. This has to be one of my favorite 1980's Arnold Schwarzenegger films. As tough, stoic and uncompromising Captain Ivan Danko of the Moscow Police he is hunting a brutal Georgian drugs kingpin who has fled the Soviet Union and ended up in Chicago. Sent by his superiors to apprehend and discreetly return this elusive criminal to the Soviet Union Danko soon finds himself working with James Belushi's wise cracking 'slob-cop'. This violent thriller is very reminiscent of director Walter Hill's other male buddy action movie "48 Hours" as both protagonists defy police protocol in order to capture the man responsible for the death of their partners. The contrast between the chaotic capitalist excesses of Chicago and Danko's single minded Terminatoresque pursuit of his man forms the basis of much of the film's humour where Danko's pithy observations punctuate this entertaining action movie. And on to Belushi, who puts in his greatest performance, and steals the movie away from everyone else, and not many can do this with Schwarzenegger. Whenever Belushi is on screen, the film springs to life, and it turns from an average cop movie, to something a little bit more special.All of the above sounds pretty much the standard Hollywood cop story formula and that does not bode well but this movie wins on its execution and balance. It's very well edited with a constant but not overwhelming flow of action and a script that gives both Belushi and Schwarzenegger occasion to deliver moments of levity. Both leads are well cast and they do a good job together and you can believe not just in the characters but in the way that they rub along together. Despite the fact that parts of the movie were shot in Russia and Eastern Europe using local actors, the movie does not seem to move beyond a stereotyped view of the people and country. That is really just a small criticism though and the important thing is that this is one of the best buddy-cop movies around.Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

"Red Heat" is very much of the mismatched cops formula, but there's also a mutual respect bubbling underneath. That, coupled with wit that never hijacks the movie are its winning qualities. Also, Schwarzenegger's not bad as a Russian. And the culture-clash humor isn't as clumsy as you'd think. Arnold's reaction to hotel porn is pretty great. It's all in the way he plays that scene.Both actors are likable in their respective molds; Arnold as the unyielding honorable Russian, Belushi as the smart-mouthed jaded cop. But the leads really sell this thing, and I ended up liking Belushi a lot more than I'd expected. Package all of this in a violent Walter Hill actioner and it's a good movie indeed.7/10

Red Heat, starring Arnold "Sir Accents-a-lot" Schwarzenegger, is a peculiar film on many levels. Released just a year before the fall of the Soviet Union, it stars a famous American actor with Austrian origins as a tough Russian cop traveling to USA in order to fetch a Soviet criminal that has escaped there. Just, think about that for a moment. Arnold as a Soviet cop, trying to do a Russian accent. If that doesn't sell the movie to you, nothing will.But, does it work? Well, in a word, yes. It follows the usual Schwarzenegger formula in that there's a lot of action, one-liners, muscular men going mano-a-mano, cheesy 80s music and wanton destruction of civic property. It's not the best movie Arnold has ever done, but it is a good example of his typical ware.The side characters are also a lot of fun, and I do like that the script paints Arnold as a good guy, making this one of the few Cold War era Hollywood films where the main actor is both a Soviet and the good guy. There's no snark aimed at his nation. There are of course jokes about him being from the Soviet Union, but just as many jokes are played at the expense of the Americans, and they're never mean-spirited or trying to put the two nations against one another.All in all Red Heat is a classic 80s action film with some surprising elements that elevate it above its peers. Worth a watch for all action fans.

Like many, I became a fan of Arnie in the late eighties/early nineties, however, despite about three viewings of 'Red Heat' I never really liked it. Until now. My initial disapproval of the film was the 'lack of action.' I guess I was too used to the big man mowing down hordes of bad-guys with machine guns, ala Commando, Predator and Terminator.But, although the action scenes are definitely subdued (when comparing them to Schwarzenegger's other output), there is actually some in there somewhere. I guess that 'Red Heat' normally gets lumped into Arnie's other work and so a lot of people call it an 'action' movie. As I said, there are a few shoot-outs and car chase, but 'action' is second to its primary genre, which is 'buddy cop' film.When you ignore the lack of cracking skulls and just focus on the relationship between the two mismatched leads, i.e. the tough Russian cop and wacky Chicago detective, then you'll find this could well be the most perfectly-formed buddy cop movie ever. The Schwarzenegger and Belushi combo works brilliantly. Their opposite personas play of each other and Red Heat could almost be considered a comedy rather than an action movie based on how many one-liners there are in there.Basically, if you're looking for out and out action, then this movie will probably fall short of your expectations (like it did with me for so many years). However, if you're looking for a no-frills buddy cop film that is just simple and effective, then this one will fill an hour and a half of your life. It's not 'classic' Schwarzenegger, but it does the job.