CITY HEAT

Boy-oh-boy! Hollywood sure did make a lot of funny gangster films during the eighties, didn't they? There was 'Wise Guys', 'Harlem Nights', 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid', and the following 97-minute film released in 1984. It was directed by Richard Benjamin and stars Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, and Madeline Kahn.


City Heat

THE STORY:

Imagine that you're a private detective called Diehl Swift (Richard Roundtree), and recently, you have been given some dubious documents that can incarcerate the crime lord, Leon Coll (Tony Lo Bianco). So, who do you turn to with this information? Just so you can earn a bit of money out of it! Leon, himself? Or what about his arch-rival, Primo Pitt (Rip Torn)?

BANG! CRASH! SPLAT!

OK. Let's scratch that, shall we? Please imagine that you're a private detective called Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds), and recently, you've heard that your silent partner, Diehl Swift, has been made permanently silent by the crime lord, Primo Pitt. Well, that's what Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood) tells you after he has a date with your secretary, Addy (Jane Alexander).

You remember Lieutenant Speer, don't you? He was once a colleague of yours when you were in the police force. He now calls you 'shorty', and he trails your every move until you can figure out why Diehl snuffed it so suddenly.

You know, like the clubs, the bars, and anywhere else your feet may tread, just prior to you getting a letter in the mail by Speer himself, telling you what you have to do next.

Still, that's most probably why what next transpires all comes into play when you have a couple of errands to run. As singers sing - hood's go ding-a-ling-a-ling - one time partners reluctantly team up - and please note that crime bosses can not help but eventually get blown - BOOM! - you know what I mean. 

THE REVIEW:

According to the film critic, Richard Schickel, "Blake Edwards -- of 'Pink Panther' fame -- was originally signed to direct this film from his own screenplay, called 'Kansas City Jazz'. But a problem arose when Blake insisted on casting his wife, Julie Andrews, in the role of Caroline Howley. Regrettably, Reynolds and Andrews had not gotten along very well during the production of 'The Man Who Loved Women', and of course, Reynolds had major reservations about a reprise of this previous problem. Eastwood supported Reynolds, and to make a long story short, Edwards quit the production, and along came Madeline Kahn".

Please note: I've decided to lead off my bullsh*t with this quote for one simple reason. In some ways, it explains why 'City Heat' turned out the way it did.

Well, it is a rather clumsy movie in places, with a fairly flimflam throughline that quips and parries all over the place - just like a monkey with an itch. One minute, the story focuses on what Burt is up to. Next, it goes to Clint. After that, it's back to Burt again. And so on, and so forth, making the whole thing slightly strained as a story in its own right.

In many ways, the narrative weaves such a formulaic pattern of setup, delay, and execution that it's easy to second-guess what's going to happen next before it does. Also, let's not even mention the bad guys (for use of a better word)! Heck, even after they killed off Richard Roundtree's character, I was still not scared of them in the slightest.

But fortunately, the film does possess some redeeming features. For example: (1) Clint and Burt. Do I have to say any more than that? Whenever these two giants are on the screen together, the sparks just fly, turning this OK-ish film into a magical film at the drop of a hat. (2) I thought that Madeline Kahn and Jane Alexander did a very good job with the girlfriend roles given to them. Shame they weren't used in a more proactive way, though, huh? (3) I did get a kick out of the penultimate battle where Burt said to Clint, 'I think there are four crooks down that alleyway', which I presume was a filmic reference to Clint's role in 'A Fist Full Of Dollars'. (4) Whenever Clint twitches his eye in that 'Inspector Dreyfus' way of his, honest to God, chills ran up my spine. It was as if these jovial scenes justified why this film was made in the first place - Burt and Clint, together - say no more.  

To finish off my bullsh*t, please allow me to relay some filmic-facts: (1) This film was released on the 7th of December, 1984, and out of a $25 million budget, it made $38,300,000 back. Not bad, but not good. (2) Burt Reynolds broke his jaw when he was hit in the face with a metal chair during a fight scene within this movie. Worst still, this injury led Burt to become addicted to painkillers. (3) This was Clint's penultimate comedy movie. His last was 'Pink Cadillac'. (4) Did you know that Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood share quite a few things in common? They were both sacked from Universal Studios on the same day. Their respective careers began on the small screen. And they appeared together on the cover of 'Time' Magazine'. The January 1978 issue, with a headline that read: 'Hollywood's Honchos -- Good Ole Burt; Cool-Eyed Clint'. (5) Burt wanted his good friend and co-star on 'Cannonball Run 2', Richard Keil, to play the part of the thug, Troy Roker, in this film. But Clint didn't, due to the fact that he was going to use Richard in one of his upcoming movies, 'Pale Rider'. (6) This flick was a joint Malpaso/Deliverance production. Malpaso from Clint's end and Deliverance from Burt's end. (7) Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time this movie was released. (8) Clint's love interest in the wartime adventure, 'Heartbreak Ridge', Marsha Mason, was originally cast in the role of Addy. But again, due to creative differences, she was quickly replaced by Jane Alexander.

Overall, 'City Heat' is what I would call a so-so film, yet it's a must-watch for any Burt or Clint fan out there. Nuff said.

THE RATING: B-