City Heat (1984)

A slick private eye and tough police lieutenant--once partners, now bitter enemies--reluctantly team up to investigate a murder.

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writers:

Blake Edwards (story), Blake Edwards,

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jane Alexander

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Lieutenant Speer
Burt Reynolds	...	Mike Murphy
Jane Alexander	...	Addy
Madeline Kahn	...	Caroline Howley
Rip Torn	...	Primo Pitt
Irene Cara	...	Ginny Lee
Richard Roundtree	...	Dehl Swift
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Leon Coll
William Sanderson	...	Lonnie Ash
Nicholas Worth	...	Troy Roker
Robert Davi	...	Nino
Jude Farese	...	Dub Slack
John Hancock	...	Fat Freddy
Jack Thibeau	...	Garage Soldier
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Counterman Louie

Storyline

Kansas City in the 1930s: private investigator Mike Murphy's partner is brutally murdered when he tries to blackmail a mobster with his secret accounting records. When a rival gang boss goes after the missing records, ex-policeman Murphy is forced to team up again with his ex-partner Lieutenant Speer, even though they can't stand each other, to fight both gangs before KC erupts in a mob war.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | murder | mobster | private eye | shootout | 

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Taglines:

Take Clint the street-smart cop . . . take Burt the wise-guy private eye . . . and then take cover!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kansas City Heat

Filming Locations:

New York Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$38,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Malpaso Company, The, Deliverance Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie's soundtrack features the song "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)" on its soundtrack. Clint Eastwood, about twenty years later, made an Academy Award winning movie called Million Dollar Baby which incidentally didn't feature this song, as the score was solely composed by Eastwood. The "Million Dollar Baby" song was composed by Harry Warren with lyrics by Mort Dixon and Billy Rose. The song is heard in this film sung by Al Jarreau.

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Goofs

This first time Murphy (Burt Reynolds) visits his apartment, he switches on his 1930s era radio, which instantly begins playing music, as a modern one would. This is incorrect - a radio of that era contained vacuum tubes, and it would have taken the radio several minutes to "warm up" before any music could be heard.

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Quotes

Mike Murphy: [the phone rings again after Murphy hangs up on his girlfriend, but Murphy makes the mistake in thinking it is his girlfriend calling him again] Ok, I'll come over and buff your body and put a nice glow to your cheeks.
Lt. Speer: And I'll bring a nice foot to your ass.

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Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"
Lyrics by Ted Koehler
Music by Harold Arlen
Sung by Eloise Laws

User Reviews

Two Superstars Surprisingly Fail

In 1978, Eastwood and Reynolds appeared together on the cover of Time as the reigning male superstars. If "City Heat" had been made that year, it would have been a superblockbuster.

But by 1984, Reynolds' career was already declining (too many insipid "Cannonball Run" movies.) Eastwood -- who after "Dirty Harry" never worked with major co-stars -- may have finally said "yes" to co-starring with Reynolds because he was clearly the bigger star in 1984. But even Eastwood was starting to age.

All the problems others have related here are true, plus one more: Reynolds was hit in the face by a stunt man with a real chair while filming the opening diner fight scene. Reynolds' jaw was broken and he had a severe medical condition causing pain, headaches, and dizzyness. Reynolds was a trouper and finished the movie (he is quite funny in it), but one of the reasons the movie is so short and incoherent is that the injured Reynolds couldn't work very long in the film (notice: in the final fight, "Reynolds" is wearing a wolf mask -- because that's not Reynolds.)

"City Heat" opened at Xmas against "Beverly Hills Cop" and new star Eddie Murphy cleaned the clocks of old stars Eastwood and Reynolds . Reynolds would never be a top star again. Adding insult to injury, the ad tag line "The Heat is On!" first used by "City Heat" was shifted to "Beverly Hills Cop" when "City Heat" disappeared from theaters.

It's too bad, really. Once upon a time, Eastwood and Reynolds were both co-equal major superstars, and it would have been exciting to see them paired together. The opening diner scene and a few later exchanges give us a tantalizing glimpse of how good "City Heat" could have been had it not be jinxed from the start.