Red Heat (1988) *** [Hill Double Feature Pt. 1]

There's no deep characterization in Walter Hill’s Red Heat (1988). For the most part, it's a buddy cop film with the added political context of Russian ("Soviet") versus US approaches to policing and the war on drugs. Arnold Schwarzenegger is fine here, but there's almost nothing over the top in his performance (once he hits the States) to make it an Arnie classic. Jim Belushi, as a slobbish, wise-cracking, woman-ogling oaf, plays the part well, but is still annoying (and almost never funny, but I guess that's the point?). Ed O’Ross, with his perma-scowl, makes for a good baddie. Hill shoots the movie with his usual style and there are some great moments, but it's never exciting in the way that other, earlier, films by the director are. Still, RH is a good solid Sunday matinee movie.

Walter Hill Films Ranked