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) (as Sam O. Brown), Blake Edwards (as Sam O. Brown)

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:

blood splatter | buddy cop | exploding car | falling to death | woman wearing lingerie | 

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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:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,301,694, 9 December 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$38,348,988

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,The Malpaso Company,Deliverance Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 98 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clint Eastwood received top / first billing, Burt Reynolds received second billing.

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Goofs

As Murphy gets things together to go meet Pitt, he opens a drawer and takes out several ammunition clips for an automatic pistol and puts them in his pockets. When Murphy gets to the street to be caught in the gun fight, he pulls out a revolver.

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Quotes

Mike Murphy: [after a gun battle] Look, do me a favor, don't save my life anymore!
Lt. Speer: My pleasure.

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Connections

References Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

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Soundtracks

City Heat
Written by Irene Cara and Bruce Roberts
Sung by Joe Williams

User Reviews

Burt Reynold and Clint Eastwood, What could go wrong?

It's 1930s Kansas City. Private investigator Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds) loses his partner who is brutally murdered after trying to blackmail a mobster with his secret accounting records. When a rival gang boss goes after the missing records, he is forced to team up with his ex-partner cop Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood) to fight both gangs before KC erupts in a mob war.

From a Blake Edwards story, this takes place when both Burt Reynold and Clint Eastwood was hitting a slow patch after being red hot. Clint would recover, but Burt never did. With the people involved, you would think this could be something incredible. But there is nothing but disappointment. Burt is playing his usual self, smirking thru his fight. Clint has no chemistry with Burt. The style is too stiff and weak. It has none of the grittiness required. It looks completely fake. Worst of all, it moves at a snails pace, dragging its feet. The dialog is stilted. There is no jokes, at least none that worked. In fact, none of it really worked.