Red Heat

Name: Red Heat
Genre: Action, Thriller, Comedy, Crime
Released: June 17, 1988
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 61
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi

1988

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 69 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 69 Ratings

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Red Heat

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Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: June 17, 1988 | R

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi

Summary: Two cops, one from Russia, the other from Chicago, team up to capture a Russian drug dealer hiding out somewhere in America.

Director: Walter Hill

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Comedy, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert

The film is punctuated by violence, a great deal of violence, although most of it is exaggerated comic-book style instead of being truly gruesome. Walking that fine line is a speciality of Hill, who once simulated the sound of a fist on a chin by making tape recordings of Ping-Pong paddles slapping leather sofas. Read full review

Allison Benedikt

The world of his films may be violent, but Hill's vision is a delicate, subtle one-of individuals packing away the tiny bit of meaning and emotion life has granted them, and fighting to protect it at all costs. It's not a sentiment that can survive in cartoons; that it emerges at all in Red Heat is a tribute to Hill's still great talent. [17 Jun 1988, p.A]

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Hill has gotten Schwarzenegger to give one of the best performances of his career, and Belushi too is thoroughly convincing as an action hero. RED HEAT is a welcome break from the shallow shoot-'em-ups that became the standard in the 1980s. Read full review

Richard Corliss

Belushi mines quick charm out of his surly role. And Arnold, starched tongue in cheek, is a doll: G.I. Joe in Soviet mufti. He could beat the stuffing out of a toy Rambo. [20 June 1988, p.88]

Michael Wilmington

Red Heat is directed in a fiery, muscular, pop-graphic style. And it has a James Horner score that puckishly mixes Prokofiev and rhythm and blues. But it's also a movie with a cramped interior. The action scenes seem to be squeezing out everything else, pressing the characters against the wall. [17 Jun 1988, p.1]

Jay Carr

There's always something touching about the diligence with which Schwarzenegger soldiers through his assignments. There's a play of intelligence and decency in his eyes that exists quite independently of his bashing. Of the Hollywood tribe of virile fists, he's the one who seems most sensitive. [17 Jun 1988, p.31]

Hal Hinson

Red Heat is poorly, or even indifferently, made. It's a joyless exercise, and too much angry resignation seeps in for it to be very funny or very entertaining. Read full review

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User Reviews

DreadLordAvatar

Mar 12, 2015

Just rewatched it on Netflix and wow, what an amazing and ageless film. Loved it back in the 80's and love it even more today. Awesome lines, Belushi and Arnold are brilliant, great chemistry. Acting by all is really fantastic and convincing. Red Heat easily earns a spot among myJust rewatched it on Netflix and wow, what an amazing and ageless film. Loved it back in the 80's and love it even more today. Awesome lines, Belushi and Arnold are brilliant, great chemistry. Acting by all is really fantastic and convincing. Red Heat easily earns a spot among my favorite Arnold films including T1, T2, and Predator.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

MoneyMaker101

Dec 27, 2014

This movie is absolutely great.Arnold Schwarzenegger fits the role fantastically and he really has some of great sentences in the film and it has funny scenes such as when that drunk hobo guy comes to Arnold and asks for money for parking and Arnold hits him and says "hooligani".This film isThis movie is absolutely great.Arnold Schwarzenegger fits the role fantastically and he really has some of great sentences in the film and it has funny scenes such as when that drunk hobo guy comes to Arnold and asks for money for parking and Arnold hits him and says "hooligani".This film is a very nice thriller with awesome and funny moments and cast is very good.James Belushi is a fantastic choice and without him this movie wouldn't be as near as good as it is.This is a classic!… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Broyax

Jul 18, 2017

Schwarzy après les Terminator, Commando (et Predator !) est clairement sur la pente ascendante dans les années 80 et cherche déjà à se diversifier pour le meilleur et pour le pire, essayant de s'affranchir quelque peu du gros film d'action qui tache et défouraille à tout berzingue...

Ainsi,Schwarzy après les Terminator, Commando (et Predator !) est clairement sur la pente ascendante dans les années 80 et cherche déjà à se diversifier pour le meilleur et pour le pire, essayant de s'affranchir quelque peu du gros film d'action qui tache et défouraille à tout berzingue...

Ainsi, ce film au ton nettement plus léger, ce film de "potes" à la 48h dont Walter Hill a le secret (et la recette plus ou moins -a-variée), ce "Red Heat" en version originale, comédie d'action surfant sur les clichés de la Russie en pleine perestroïka, une Russie qui laisse encore s'interroger les Amerloques à propos des Russkofs : "ce sont encore des enfoirés de Rouges mais ils commencent à devenir sympas puisqu'ils ne sont plus des enfoirnazes de communistes".

Le film joue donc sur les contrastes et les exploite autant que faire se peut avec le joyeux James Belushi toujours à tenter de dérider notre Terminator soviétique aussi inexpressif que possible mais aussi têtu et borné qu'une borne kilométrique de 1943 à Stalingrad. Notre Soviet pas suprême s'adapte néanmoins avec rapidité au monde capitaliste lors de la traque du méchant trafiquant de drogue russe exilé à Chicago et en cheville avec une bande de crânes d'oeuf noirs !

Qu'importe, l'espèce d'histoire se laisse oublier tandis que Belushi dit des gros mots et que Schwarzynatoff ne remue pas une oreille mais joue du flingue avec application. On ne s'ennuie pas dans Double Détente, on sourit de temps en temps -peut-être- à quelques vannes et on apprécie la mise en scène sans fioritures...

Cependant, rien à faire, Schwarzy est coincé et ridicule et Belushi est beauf parmi les beaufs ! ça en devient gênant parfois... Heureusement, la superbe musique de James Horner à la fois opportuniste ( ce thème kremlinesque !) et fidèle à elle-même reste toujours aussi efficace, dans la même veine que celle de... Commando !… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Deanomite

Jan 16, 2020

I absolutely love Walter Hill and 80's Arnold, so this movie is a wonderful test of nostalgia vs reality. It is corny, I read they worked a lot on 48 hrs to make the characters pop and here it feels like they tried to conform to the script. I also read they brought John Milius in for HuntI absolutely love Walter Hill and 80's Arnold, so this movie is a wonderful test of nostalgia vs reality. It is corny, I read they worked a lot on 48 hrs to make the characters pop and here it feels like they tried to conform to the script. I also read they brought John Milius in for Hunt for Red October 1 year later to make the Russian dialog more authentic, that would have helped here. The dialog in general is generic. Arnold was too stilted, it felt like they wanted it to be funny but he was more human as a robot in Terminator. The long crawl for the key when there was no tension really showed a lack of direction. The music also could have been more involved. I like Belushi but his role is too corny, less would be more. I rarely don't finish a movie, made it half way.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Nov 28, 2021

This is very much a stereotyped action thriller film of the late 1980s. The mock Russian accents are cringe-y, to say the least. Its a fairly entertaining watch otherwise I suppose although not exactly chock-full of substance, I think its fair to say.

Watching Art Ridzik,(the wise guy copThis is very much a stereotyped action thriller film of the late 1980s. The mock Russian accents are cringe-y, to say the least. Its a fairly entertaining watch otherwise I suppose although not exactly chock-full of substance, I think its fair to say.

Watching Art Ridzik,(the wise guy cop played by Jim Belushi) get annoyed with Ivan Danko, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, was amusing. I also spotted Peter Boyle, i.e. the dad from Everybody Loves Raymond and a young(ish) pre-Matrix Laurence Fishburne. This is an alright, if unsurprisingly by the book, action thriller that may be of interest if it sounds any good but I don't know I'd especially go far out of your way to watch it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LoRevisor

Jan 2, 2015

Um decepcionante filme de Schwarzenegger,um filme de ação fraco sem piadas boas,ainda conta com uma história fraca executadamente sem sucesso sem boas cenas de ação

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Steven1981

Mar 20, 2020

Red Heat is a 1988 mindless action thriller that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger.. After a druglord kills Schwarzenegger's buddy cop Russian friend and escapes to America he must also go to America to bring the druglord (Rosta) in. When in America Schwarzenegger who plays Russian cop Ivan DankoRed Heat is a 1988 mindless action thriller that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger.. After a druglord kills Schwarzenegger's buddy cop Russian friend and escapes to America he must also go to America to bring the druglord (Rosta) in. When in America Schwarzenegger who plays Russian cop Ivan Danko teams up with joker, clown and a wisecracking cop (James Belushi) to find the druglord and killer. That's pretty much the story and plot because the rest is just blood, mindless shootouts, bus chases and violence and Gina Gershon turning up dead. Arnie plays this giant, musclebounded cop with no personality at all and is boring and at least Belushi is funny at times and has a sense of humour but even with the humour elements and James Belushi's hilarious acting abilities I think Arnold Schwarzenegger's horrible acting and boring presence onscreen and the depressing villains make this action film very borderline boring and uninteresting even with all the violence and action. The whole film feels depressing to be honest and mostly horrible.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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