Heat (1986)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Fantastic!

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I didn't realize that film was made in '86, a year for film that I loved. The cover makes the film looks more than it is, which it isn't. This is a 90+ minute film that doesn't use too many scenes (for some just drag) or story structure that basically goes out the window for the stretch, and we wonder what the hell. And we kind of wonder what Burt is doing in this too. I mean if you're interested in watching Burt (a private eye here) win, and blow ten grand, go ahead. It's kind of interesting, especially Burt losing so bad, it causes the dealer and good friend (Scarwid) to draw tears. The paper thin revenge tale (oh, yes this from a book) of course is set in Vegas, where a close lady friend of Burt's (Young) has been up pretty bad by these three guys, two real beefy, and we know how dangerous Burt can get when provoked, causing him to do some really serious damage, the other guy, a thin sissy, faggoty type with ties to the mafia. Him and Burt meet late together in the Mafia chambers, you could say, but prefore to this, and after he does some irreparable damage, he takes some nice bundles of cash, which he gives to his avenged lady friend, who watches the show Burt gives, then skips town, where a new client, (Ally McBeal's Peter MaCnichol) befriends Burt, looking to him as his teacher, trying to make him stronger, than the whining loser he is. I really did like the scenes between these two. Yes, this is a film that will disappoint a lot of viewers, with high expectations, where they brought down, bad, but give it some more views. Very well shot, some moments near the end are shot very dark, bringing to mind the shot torture scene in Sharky's Machine.

Nick "Mex" Escalante (Reynolds) is a Las Vegas-based gambler and bodyguard that kind of just drifts through life, going from adventure to adventure - whether it be getting revenge for the rape of his friend Holly (Young) or teaching new acquaintance Cyrus Kinnick (MacNicol) how to defend himself. He just wants to scrape together enough money to move to Venice, but all of his enemies, especially his latest one, Danny DeMarco (Barry) - want to prevent this from happening.This was the beginning of Burt's "Not Caring" period. Probably due to circumstances in his personal life, what was probably perceived at the time as just a droll performance, is actually how Burt carried out most of his work from here on in. This movie not only has a slow pace and is talky when there should be action, it seems less like an action movie and more of a rambling drama. The fact that Robert Altman was originally slated to direct makes a lot of sense.The few action scenes there are happen to be absolutely priceless - they're very funny. But their humor, whether intentional or not, does not match the tone of the rest of the film. In between the action bits, there are long stretches where, boringly, nothing really goes on. What a wasted opportunity. The DeMarco crime family should have sent more goons after Burt and he can dispatch them in his own inimitable way. But no, it's him and Peter MacNicol talking about life. Can't they do that on their own time? There isn't even one car chase for crying out loud.On the positive side, there is a lot of pre-political correctness dialogue, and the soundtrack is drenched in classic sax (just like the Wings Hauser Las Vegas movie Living To Die, 1990). And, of course, Howard Hesseman is involved. And if you can't get enough of the magnetism of Burt Reynolds (not caring), Heat should satisfy that need. Keep in mind this was the BEGINNING of his Not Caring period. Compared to later outings, he still had a little bit of "care" left in him.Heat is not exactly a must see, but in the action sequences, we actually rewound a few parts. So if you find it cheap somewhere (very cheap) get it. Otherwise, eh.For more action insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

This movie needs to be watched for only a handful of reasons.One, it'll completely revolutionize the way you think about how Burt Reynolds can jump. Sure, it's a pretty lousy stunt double for most of the scenes, and Burt is as oily and haggard as he ever was in the 80s, but he has some ridiculous fight scenes where he inexplicable can jump 12 feet in the f**king air. It's incredible.Also, the ending is so void of substance, that you'll question your own appreciation of time, and ask yourself, "why in the hell did I just watch this." You'll then become a better person and get more out of life.Watch with caution, and every time Burt slugs someone or jumpkicks the hell outta them or throws medallions at their face, yell "HEAT!" at the t.v. It's the only way to go, and you'll feel much better.

Burt Reynolds had made bad films before this one, but he was always able to bounce back with films like Sharkey's Machine (1981) or City Heat (1984), but there was no recovering from this turkey. It took Burt all the way to 1997's Boogie Nights to make a decent film. This film has all of the usual elements, but just not put together correctly. Wayne had Ford and De Niro had Scorsese I guess Burt couldn't make a decent film without Hal Needham. If Hal would have done this he could have at least made the action scenes exciting and Burt could concentrate on being Burt. So if Burt makes a good movie every ten years we should see one pretty soon. Not a Dukes of Hazzard or The Longest Yard, but a real Burt Reynolds movie. One bad thing is the Burt I know would wear a toupee, but would never have undergone that wretched plastic surgery(Clint didn't need one). Come on Hal,if you're still kicking get together and bring back the good ol' Burt Reynolds.