Dead Heat (1988)

Director:

Mark Goldblatt

Writer:

Terry Black (written by)

Release Date:

6 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

These cops are on the biggest murder case of their lives... their own.

Plot:

Roger Mortis and Doug Bigelow are cops that are chasing crooks that are dead serious about crime. Or...

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Police | Reanimation | Human Experiment | Voodoo

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Treat Williams	...	Det. Roger Mortis
Joe Piscopo	...	Det. Doug Bigelow
Lindsay Frost	...	Randi James
Darren McGavin	...	Dr. Ernest McNab
Vincent Price	...	Arthur P. Loudermilk
Clare Kirkconnell	...	Dr. Rebecca Smythers
Keye Luke	...	Mr. Thule
Robert Picardo	...	Lieutenant Herzog
Mel Stewart	...	Captain Mayberry
Professor Toru Tanaka	...	Butcher
Martha Quinn	...	Newscaster
Ben Mittleman	...	Bob
Peter Kent	...	Smitty
Cate Caplin	...	Saleswoman
Monica Lewis	...	Mrs. Von Heisenberg

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:M | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Helpern / Meltzer

Trivia:

The lead character is Roger Mortis. Mortis is the Latin word for "death".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the first scene where we see our two stars driving in the car, the camera crew is clearly (though quickly) visible in the reflection of multiple store windows and the side of a nearby van.

Quotes:

Doug Bigelow: [He shuts the porno mag the clerk's being reading] Sorry to interrupt your erection!

Movie Connections:

References Dirty Harry (1971)

Soundtrack:

Dead Heat

Remember The Good Old Days When Bullets Actually Killed People

Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo are two, now get his, mismatched cops. Joe Piscopo is Bigelow, a macho, insensitive lug who only cares about himself...maybe. Treat Williams is Mortis, a kind, intuitive detective with a promising career ahead of him...until his latest case lands him on a slab. Fortunately, the case provides them with a means to bring Mortis back. Now, Bigelow and an undead Mortis race to find Mortis' killer before it's too late...(or perhaps it already is) The film tries hard to be funny, and it is, in certain moments. The two lead actors have a kind of chemistry and the cast of character actors are dynamite (including Darren McGavin, Vincent Price, Robert Picardo, and Key Luke) but it is the genre-mixing which steals the show. The butcher shop scene is hilarious and sick, a good indication of where the movie would have went if more freedom had been extended toward the filmmakers. But it remains a neat little flick for the horror lovers and the action buffs everywhere.

Hopefully more and more people will discover this title, but until then, it has a small cult audience. Don't let that stop ya, seek it out. It won't change your life, but it ought to give you a diverting way to spend an hour and a half.