Red Heat (1988)

An tough Russian policeman is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord who killed his partner and fled the country.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Walter Hill (story), Harry Kleiner (screenplay),

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi, Peter Boyle

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Capt. Ivan Danko
James Belushi	...	Det. Sgt. Art Ridzik
Peter Boyle	...	Cmdr. Lou Donnelly
Ed O'Ross	...	Viktor 'Rosta' Rostavili
Laurence Fishburne	...	Lt. Charlie Stobbs (as Larry Fishburne)
Gina Gershon	...	Catherine 'Cat' Manzetti
Richard Bright	...	Det. Sgt. Gallagher
J.W. Smith	...	Salim
Brent Jennings	...	Abdul Elijah
Gretchen Palmer	...	Hooker
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Night Clerk
Mike Hagerty	...	Pat Nunn (as Michael Hagerty)
Brion James	...	Streak
Gloria Delaney	...	Intern
Peter Jason	...	TV Announcer

Storyline

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a Russian policeman sent after a Georgian drug dealer who has escaped to the United States and is awaiting extradition in Chicago. Jim Belushi plays his temporary partner on the Chicago police. When the drug dealer escapes, the two police must overcome their differences in order to recapture him.

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Plot Keywords:

police | georgian | detective | drug dealer | beating | 

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Taglines:

Moscow's toughest detective. Chicago's craziest cop. There's only one thing worse than making them mad. Making them partners.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

17 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dimitri

Filming Locations:

1579 N Milwaukee Avenue, Wicker Park, West Town, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$34,994,648 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Lone Wolf, Oak Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming the producers tried to have the city move the sculpture by Alexander Calder on Dearborn Ave. over a few feet in order to accommodate a bus chase. Due to the immensity of the sculpture and the fact that it is made of solid steel, the city declined and the scene was cut.

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Goofs

There are numerous mistakes with how many bullets various weapons can hold before reloading.

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Quotes

[Danko's watch alarm goes off]
Art Ridzik: What's that?
Ivan Danko: My watch. It's on Moscow time.
Art Ridzik: Time to pick up Pokey?
Ivan Danko: Time to feed parakeet.
Art Ridzik: What's that, Russian for "jerking off"?

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits certain letters are reversed so as to imitate Russian Cyrillic script. In particular, "Rs" and "Ns" are reversed.

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Connections

References 48 Hrs. (1982)

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Soundtracks

"CANTATA FOR THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION"
Op.74: "The Philosophers"
Written by Sergei Prokofiev
Arranged and Conducted by James Horner

User Reviews

Marx all the right buddy-cop movie boxes.

Man-mountain Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger plays a Russian cop (Captain Danko) sent to Chicago to track down and deal with a nefarious drug dealer (played by Ed O'Ross who is all sweaty, unshaven bad guy). It's personal, it's gonna get ballistic and it's all made more entertaining by the fact that he's paired up with James Belushi back when James Belushi was still pretty funny.

Ahhhhh, it's easy to slip on those glasses with the slightly rose tint and praise this as a modern action classic the way they used to make 'em. And the fact is . . . . . . it IS.

The set-up is simplicity itself, there aren't really any twists and turns to tax your brain, Walter Hill directs the action assuredly and all the fun is to be had from watching Ah-nuld and Belushi wreak havoc as they try to bring the bad guys to task.

Throw in a supporting cast that includes Peter Boyle as the standard put-upon boss, Larry Fishburne (before he was Lawrence), Gina Gershon and the magnificent Brion James (R.I.P) in a small but memorable scene and you have guaranteed good times for those wanting a testosterone-fuelled action movie with some amusing lines thrown in every so often.

Not the funniest comedy or the best action movie, not even the best movie featuring either of the leads, but undemanding fun from the late 80s with rampant carnage that will inevitably lead to a considerable amount of paperwork (ref: Hot Fuzz, oh yes).

See this if you like: Hot Fuzz, Lethal Weapon 3, Commando.