Heat (1986)

Las Vegas is the backdrop for all the torrid action of heat, as Burt Reynolds plays the soft-hearted bodyguard who's out to protect his friends.

Directors:

Dick Richards (as R.M. Richards), Jerry Jameson (uncredited)

Writers:

William Goldman (screenplay), William Goldman (novel)

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Karen Young, Peter MacNicol

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds	...	Mex
Karen Young	...	Holly
Peter MacNicol	...	Cyrus Kinnick
Howard Hesseman	...	Pinchus Zion
Neill Barry	...	Danny DeMarco
Diana Scarwid	...	Cassie
Joseph Mascolo	...	Baby (as Joe Mascolo)
Alfie Wise	...	Felix
Deborah Rush	...	D.D.
Wendell Burton	...	Osgood
Joanne Jackson	...	Millicent
Joe Klecko	...	Kinlaw
Peter Koch	...	Tiel (as Pete Koch)
Joseph Bernard	...	Pit Boss
Barry Polkowitz	...	Hot Shot Dealer

Storyline

Reynolds plays an ex-soldier-of-fortunish character in Vegas, taking "Chaperone" jobs, fighting with the mob, and trying to get enough money together to move to Venice, Italy.

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Plot Keywords:

venice italy | tough guy | psychopath | casino | bodyguard | 

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Taglines:

No fear - No law. He's out for revenge.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Banco

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,354,375, 15 March 1987, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$2,793,214

Company Credits

Production Co:

Escalante Productions, Elliott Kastner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Altman bowed out as the original director because US Immigration denied a visa to Altman's Canadian cameraman, Pierre Mignot.

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Goofs

Scene in Baby's office where Nick is "on trial" for murdering DeMarco's henchmen, mid way through the boom mic drops into the scene briefly.

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Quotes

[His qualifications.]
Mex: Well, I've been knocked down, blown up, lied to, shit on, shot at, I'm not a virgin except in my heart, nothing much surprises me anymore except what people do to each other. I'm a licensed pilot, I lectured on economics at Yale, and I can memorize the front page of the New York Times in five minutes, and repeat it back to you in five weeks. I was National Golden Gloves Champion three years in a row and I'm fluent in four languages. And... I lie a lot!

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Alternate Versions

All UK releases of 'HEAT' omit the final scene, in which Peter McNicol's character survives his shotgun blast. This 'happier' ending can be found in the US DVD release only

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Connections

Version of Wild Card (2015)

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Soundtracks

Ain't We Got Fun
Composed by Richard A. Whiting, Gus Kahn and Ray Egan

User Reviews

Should have been a sequel to Malone

Even though it came out a few months earlier, this great Burt Reynold's obscurity, "Heat," could have easily been a sequel to his other great 80s obscurity, "Malone." Once you changed a couple of small plot points to make the films consistent, you'd still have exactly the same character at the center of each. Burt acts the same, looks the same, dresses the same, and his character in Heat has a very similar background and the exact same skills as the one on "Malone." In fact, the two films even share some of the same lines of dialog (almost). In "Malone" the young girl tells Burt's character that he must like violence. Burt replies that "No, I'm just good at it--there's a difference." In "Heat" Peter McNichol asks Burt if he's a naturally violent person. To which Burt replies "No, I'm just good at it." I mean, really--could that be a total coincidence?

Another similarity--"Malone" was basically a old fashioned Western in the "Shane" mode. "Heat" is basically a Spaghetti Western in the revenge mode.

I love both of these flicks and wish they'd get decent DVD releases.