Red Heat (1988)

A 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, Jim Belushi, Peter Boyle

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Ivan Danko
Jim Belushi	...	Art Ridzik (as James Belushi)
Peter Boyle	...	Lou Donnelly
Ed O'Ross	...	Viktor Rostavili
Laurence Fishburne	...	Lt. Stobbs (as Larry Fishburne)
Gina Gershon	...	Cat Manzetti
Richard Bright	...	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

A mutually uneasy alliance is formed between the stern Captain Ivan Danko of the Moscow Police and his American equivalent, the Chicago Detective Art Ridzik when the latter captures Viktor Rostavili, a dangerous Georgian drug kingpin. With his partner murdered by Viktor's hands, Ivan lands in Chicago to extradite the crime lord back to Russia, however, when he manages to escape, a frenzied chase in the bustling downtown will begin. In the end, to bring down the ruthless criminal, are the two reluctant comrades who are worlds apart willing to put their differences aside?

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Plot Keywords:

gunfire | shot to death | brutal cop | policeman | drug dealer | 

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Taglines:

One brings his own style from Moscow to Chicago. The other has no style at all. With this much friction, there's gonna be Heat...

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the film premiered on the ITV network in the UK in the early 1990s. All 'F' words used in the film were removed for example, the theatrical version when Danko and Ridzik emerge from the bus and it crashes in the aftermath of the bus chase.

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Goofs

When Danko accuses Streak of lying, Ridzik says he has the right to do so in the U.S. This is incorrect. Lying to a police officer is a crime and someone doing it can be charged with obstructing a peace officer.

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Quotes

Commander Lou Donnelly CPD: Since I figure cops are cops the world over, how do you Soviets deal with all the tension and stress?
Ivan Danko: Vodka.

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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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Alternate Versions

German theatrical version was edited for violence to secure a "Not under 16" rating. Rental VHS (Starlight) was also edited for violence. Retail VHS (Starlight, EuroVideo) included all the violence but missed 9 minutes of dialogue (oddly both versions were rated "Not under 16"). In 1997 the film was re-released by Astro, this time in its uncut form with a "Not under 18" rating (it was advertised as being a "Director's Cut"). DVD (Kinowelt) is also uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #35.61 (2018)

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Soundtracks

JACKIN' NATIONAL ANTHEM
Produced and Written by Mickey Oliver & Cheese
Mixin' Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Hot Mix & Records

User Reviews

Solid action movie

Walter Hill knows how to direct action movies, and he does'nt let up with this solid thriller. Arnie and Jim Belushi take on a Russian drug dealer(Ed O'Ross) who is now working with some "gangtas" in Chicago. The shootout's are good and the ending bus chase is cool and theres some good dialogue. The only problem is Arnie's character is too much like the Terminator and there are no one-liners like in his other films. But besides that, this is a solid action movie and I recommend it highly. 4/5

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish

Release Date:

17 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dimitri

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,133,822, 19 June 1988

Gross USA:

$34,994,648

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,994,648

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Lone Wolf, Oak Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1