Red Heat (1985)

Director:

Robert Collector
(more)

Writers:

Robert Collector
Gary Drucker

Release Date:

28 May 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Only one film could top the intensity of CHAINED HEAT. This is it!

Plot:

An American woman visiting her fiancée in West Germany is caught up with a defecting spy and captured by those in the East...

Plot Keywords:

West Germany | Interrogation | Prison | Rape | Bound And Gagged

Cast

Linda Blair	...	Christine Carlson
Sylvia Kristel	...	Sofia
Sue Kiel	...	Hedda
William Ostrander	...	Mike
Elisabeth Volkmann	...	Einbeck
Albert Fortell	...	Ernst
Herb Andress	...	Werner
Barbara Spitz	...	Meg
Kati Marothy	...	Barbara
Dagmar Schwarz	...	Lillian
Sissy Weiner	...	Uta
Norbert Blecha	...	Kurt
Sonja Martin	...	Evelyn
Evelyn Engleder	...	Eva
John Brett	...	Roger
Michael Troy	...	Howard
Helmut Janatsch	...	Lecture
Elvira Neustaedtl	...	Limmer
Fritz von Friedl	...	BND Agent
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lisa Burnett	...	Policewoman 1 (uncredited)
Monica Teuber	...	Hotel Receptionist (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Collector
Ernst R. von Theumer		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Collector
Gary Drucker

Produced by
Paul Hellerman	....	associate producer
Monica Teuber	....	executive producer
Monica Teuber	....	producer
Ernst R. von Theumer	....	producer

Original Music by
Tangerine Dream

Cinematography by
Wolfgang Dickmann

Film Editing by
Anthony Redman

Costume Design by
Monika Hinz
Erika Navas

Makeup Department
Ingrid Thier	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lothar H. Krischer	....	production supervisor (uncredited)

Sound Department
William Hooper	....	sound editor

Distributors

• Amuse Soft Entertainment (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1986) (Greece) (VHS)
• Avid Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (video)
• Cinema-R (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Les Films du Diamant (????) (France) (VHS)
• Look Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Media Cooperation One (MC-One) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Media Suits (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Orustak Pictures (2012) (Japan) (DVD)
• Panik House Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Star Media Entertainment (????) (Norway) (VHS)
• Tohokushinsha Home Video (1986) (Japan) (VHS)
• VDS Video (198?) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (video)
• Video Screen (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Video Service Corporation (2008) (Canada) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:104 min

Country:

West Germany | USA | Austria

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | France:-12 | Norway:18 (video rating) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Norway:16 | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Mafilm, Budapest, Hungary

Trivia:

'Linda Blair' broke her leg while filming. She had to complete the film, including chase scenes in the sewers of Vienna, wearing a cast.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The GDR used white license plates, not black ones.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: The Devil Is in the Details... And the Upstairs Bedroom (#4.4)" (2009)

Linda Blair and Sylvia Kristel in the same movie equals a good time for me.

Decent entry into the Women In Prison genre finds Linda Blair, two years after "Chained Heat", back in the slammer in this politically loaded yarn. She plays Christine Carlson, an innocent college student visiting her fiancée, Mike (William Ostrander), an Army lieutenant stationed in Germany. After a fight with Mike, Christine finds herself in one of those "wrong place at the wrong time" scenarios by witnessing the abduction of Hedda (Sue Kiel), a spy who was trying to defect. The evil authorities force Christine to confess to espionage activities, and both she and Hedda are thrown in an East German prison. This particular place is ruled by alluring Sylvia "Emmanuelle" Kristel as Sofia, a top con who relishes her position in the pecking order - and relishes enforcing it. "Red Heat" is all just somber enough, trashy enough, and entertaining enough to make it an acceptable diversion. The requirements of the genre are satisfactorily met, with the standard display of delectable female nudity, lesbian couplings, harsh violence, and mean, sadistic villains that fans come to expect. Linda is appealing as always, and compelling to watch as we see her prison stay start changing her - not exactly for the better, of course. One can hardly blame her whenever she does snap. The sub plot of Mike doing everything he possibly can do - his career be damned - helps keep the movie moving along nicely, and the story leads right up to a respectably rousing climactic prison break. Beefy actor Ostrander, whom you may recognize as having played bully Buddy Repperton in the film version of "Christine", is good, as is Kiel, although Kristel remains the most fun to watch as she clearly enjoys playing the part of the bad girl. With the action enhanced by typically fine and atmospheric music by Tangerine Dream, and capable direction by Robert Collector, this movie is definitely good of its kind, with a palpably serious mood and a lack of camp. Overall, solidly done and worth a look. Seven out of 10.