Red Heat

Plot synopsis:
Captain Ivan Danko of the Moscow Militia sets a trap for Viktor Rostavili, a Georgian drug kingpin and crime lord. The ambush severely backfires; Viktor flees the Soviet Union and comes to the USA, after gunning down several other Moscow cops, including Danko's partner.
Loudmouthed Chicago Police Department Detective-Sergeant Art Ridzik, investigates several local murders committed by Viktor's cartel. When Viktor is arrested in Chicago, Danko is dispatched to escort him back to Moscow to face justice in the Soviet Union. Unexpectedly, Danko and Ridzik find themselves partnered together when Viktor escapes custody, gunning down Ridzik's partner, Gallagher, in the process. Danko is frustrated when his lack of a diplomatic license prohibits him from carrying a weapon. He shares his candid observations with Ridzik: "This Chicago is very strange city. Your crime is organized, but your police is not."
Danko and Ridzik pursue Viktor and his henchmen around Chicago. Finally, Danko and Viktor commandeer a couple of Greyhound buses, then engage in a high-speed chase, smashing up half of Chicago in the process, with no sign of the cops...until Viktor is side-slammed by a train. He takes on Danko in a running, Texas-style shootout (Danko uses a Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum given to him by Ridzik); Viktor is gunned down. Danko returns to Moscow after exchanging wristwatches with Ridzik as an act of goodwill.

Tags: revenge, cult, action, comedy, violence

Review:
Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi have good chemistry in this Russian cop/cop buddy film.
A highly entertaining film that stars Anrold Schwarzanagger as tough and dutiful Russian cop Ivan Danko and James Belushi as the undisciplined passionate American cop Art Ridzik.
With stalwart supporting performances from O'Ross, Boyle, and a younger Laurence Fishburne, and fine directing from Walter Hill, Red Heat is definitely recommended for all Arnie or Belushi fans.
Walter Hill is a director known for his tough guy action movies (The Warriors, Extreme Prejudice, Southern Comfort) and in the early 80s he scored big with 48 Hours, a story of mis-matched partners working together to catch the bad guys.
He repeated that formula again in 1988 with Red Heat, though it had become a regular cliché by this point.Ivan Danko is a no-nonsense Soviet cop sent to Chicago to extradite a notorious Russian criminal back to Communist soil.
Grim, Stone-faced, distant Moscow homicide cop Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) tries to apprehend Russian Georgian drug dealer Viktor Rostavili (Ed O'Ross) and his brother.
Not to mention Ivan with Art who has to stick by the American book of police brutality.Red Heat isn't a bad movie, it was cool seeing one of Gina Gershon's first roles in film, she actually did a decent job in Red Heat; it wasn't a surprise that she made it big afterwards.
RED HEAT stands out as one of the good ones.Arnold Schwarzenegger is hilarious as he wears a furry hat as a soviet police officer sent to America to track down a Russian drug lord (Ed O'Ross), who is also responsible for the death of his partner.
It's not the best movie Arnold has ever done, but it is a good example of his typical ware.The side characters are also a lot of fun, and I do like that the script paints Arnold as a good guy, making this one of the few Cold War era Hollywood films where the main actor is both a Soviet and the good guy.
There are of course jokes about him being from the Soviet Union, but just as many jokes are played at the expense of the Americans, and they're never mean-spirited or trying to put the two nations against one another.All in all Red Heat is a classic 80s action film with some surprising elements that elevate it above its peers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Ivan Danko a Soviet cop who teams up with Chicago cop Art Ridzik (James Belushi) to avenge both of their partner's death (One Soviet and one American) at the hands of a ruthless drug-lord Victor Rasta (Ed O'Ross) while battling the red tape provided by their superiors (Peter Boyle and Laurence Fishbourne).
Red Heat has no overall verve in the story to propel it into the action sequences and while these are occasionally exciting the movie's pace is off and Hill has clearly fashioned his superior 48 HRS routine on a pair of actors that have zero chemistry when the cameras are on.
"Red Heat" team up Walter Hill, Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi on a plot about a Soviet captain (Arnold) and an American cop (Belushi) whose task is to arrest a violent drug dealer (Ed O'Ross) that came all the way from Russia to Chicago, after killing a cop, friend of Schwarzenegger.So,here's a buddy movie where two opposite forces join each other in order to achieve their common goal and catch the bad guy, back in the hard days of Cold War. Most of the film is about covering the strange partnership between the detective of the Capitalist nation and the tough captain that comes from the Comunist Russia, their cultural differences and different ways of treating their criminals, and the usual fights and shootings.
And for a Walter Hill movie this was quite light, not much violent (or not making it so impressively) and filled with lots of dialogs.Part of our fun in watching "Red Heat" is seeing the Governator posing like a Russian officer, so superior but giving some funny moments.Cast also includes Peter Boyle, Gina Gershon, Laurence Fishburne, Richard Bright and Pruitt Taylor Vince, all in good supporting roles.Man, I miss movies like this.
Captain Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a no nonsense Soviet cop who is sent to Chicago to pick up a murdering Russian drug dealer.
Complete polar opposites, both men form an unlikely alliance as Danko's Soviet methods blend with Ridzik's free spirited street wise techniques.There were quite a few buddy buddy films around in the 1980s, certainly the teaming of unlikely cop partners was nothing new at the time of Red Heat's release.
The plot of the movie revolves around the theme of revenge, as Danko is partnered by Chicago cop Art Ridzik (played proficiently by Jim Belushi), whom lost a friend and veteran cop to Rostavili's Russian mobsters.
As I stated not Schwarzenegger's 80's best but Red Heat is still a great action movie, giving Arnie the challenge of nailing a Russian pistol-bearing cop along with the dogged Belushi - and their on screen chemistry is nothing short of surprises..
Red Heat (1988) *** (out of 4)After his partner is killed in Russia, Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) travels to Chicago where the killer is trying to get a major drug deal going.
No. It might be a bit dated now but you cannot deny that Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi made a great odd-couple of police officers who are polar opposites forced to work together.Highly decorated Moscow Police Captain Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator) travels to Chicago where ruthless drug dealer Viktor Rostavili (Ed O'Ross, Lethal Weapon) has been located and arrested after evading Moscow Police.
The rest of the supporting cast including the late Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond), Gina Gershon (Face/Off), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Pruitt Taylor Vince (Natural Born Killers), Richard Bright (The Godfather) and Brion James (Blade Runner) also pop up throughout the movie.Director Walter Hill might have tried to resurrect his formula that worked a treat in 48 Hrs.
Continuing my plan to watch every Arnie movie in order, I come to 1988's Red Heat.Plot In A Paragraph: Ivan Danko (Arnie) A tough Russian policeman is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective (James Belushi) when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord who killed his partner and fled the country.Arnie teaming up with James Belushi in a buddy cop movie directed by Walter Hill should have been a slam dunk, but it falls flat for some reason.
Art Ridzik (James Belushi) is forced to partner with the Russian after Viktor escapes with the help of his crew.This Walter Hill film is a functional buddy cop movie.
The odd cop couple was not a new concept when Red Heat was released, but it has a simple story that is fleshed out into a superior action film and features one of Arnold's better performances.
There's no screen cemestry between arnie and belushi(this is a buddy movie after all) ,there's very little action and the action that's in the film is pretty routine,including some fight scene's with some of the most over the top punching sound effects i have ever heard.
Only this time, it's Russian style.The first film ever filmed in Moscow's famed Red Square, "Red Heat" is about a Russian cop named Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who joins forces with "Chicago's craziest cop," Art Ridzik (James Belushi), in an effort to bring down a Russian drug smuggler named Viktor (Ed O'Ross) who is sneaking drugs in the United States.Ridzik is what I refer to as the Martin Riggs Cliché: He's the trigger-happy, irreverent, carefree cop who does whatever it takes to get the job done.What Riggs is to Ridzik, Roger Murtaugh is to Ivan Danko.
Well, muscular Average Joes.James Belushi is a funny guy, too, and he is underrated because too many people compare him to his late brother, John, from "Saturday Night Live" and "The Blues Brothers." Well, okay, he's not exactly the same -- but I still think he's very funny and rather good at playing the lazy, under/overwhelmed characters.Walter Hill, the really bad action director who made a few good films during the 80s, but mostly a bunch of bad, clichéd ones, directed the film.
Between The Terminator and Raw Deal there is Schwarzenegger's Red Heat, the 1988 action peace which also co-stars Jim Belushi who provides the comic relief from the Director who gave us Eddie Murphy in 48 hrs.
I still think Red Heat is one of Walter Hill's best movies, his first film was 48 Hrs.
Red Heat is a 1988 American buddy cop action film directed by Walter Hill.
The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Moscow narc Ivan Danko, and James Belushi, as Chicago detective Art Ridzik.
Finding themselves on the same case, Danko and Ridzik work as partners to catch a cunning and deadly Soviet Georgian drug kingpin, Viktor Rostavili (Ed O'Ross), who also happens to be the killer of Danko's previous partner back in Soviet Russia.10/10 Score: A Studio: Carolco Pictures StudioCanal, TriStar Pictures Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi, Peter Boyle, Ed O'Ross, Laurence Fishburne, Gina Gershon, Brion James Director Walter Hill Producers: Walter Hill, Gordon Carroll, Mario Kassar, Andrew G.
A tough Russian policeman (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective (James Belushi) when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord (Ed O'Ross) who killed his partner and fled the country.Coming out the same year as "Twins", this film (despite being successful) was overshadowed and largely forgotten.
After filming The Principal(awesome movie, another favorite of mine), James Belushi stays in action mode playing a tough, trash talking Chicago cop Art Ridzik.
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsIn another one of his earlier films,the Austrian oak stars as a Russian agent who teams up with a New York detective,played by James Belushi,to capture an evil drug pusher.There is some amusing chemistry between Scwarzenegger and Belushi,but the plot is a bit too spaced out and wavey and there is a disappointing lack of action.Still,it's certainly not Arnie's worst film.**.
This Arnold is actually quite different than his other films.It has action and a good plot.Arnold was good,James Belushi was funny,Peter Boyle performed good,and Ed O'Ross played a cool bad @$$ villain and looked really rugged!The then Larry "now" Laurence Fishburne was good.Gina Gershon was good and played a different role than her one in Out For Justice.Kurt Fuller didn't have a big part but it was really cool to see Sven-Ole Thorsen in yet another Arnold movie and he has a short but awseome fist fight in the beginning with Arnold!The music by James Horner is very good!Red Heat is a good movie and if you like the above mention cast and haven't seen it then rent it or even buy it because its worth it!Other Arnold recommendations: ConanThe Barbarian,Conan The Destroyer,Red Sonja,The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day,The Running Man,Raw Deal,Commando,Predator,Total Recall,Kindergarten Cop,Last Action Hero,True Lies,Eraser,Jingle All the Way ,Batman and Robin,The 6th Day,and Collateral Damage!.
The comedy pairing of him and Jim Belushi falls flat too - the banter isn't particularly witty and the plot gets too muddled with the frequent random appearances of Gina Gershon's confused and cliché'd character and over-reliance on a MacGuffin locker key.However, the film is easily digestible to fans of any 80's action with a brisk pace, solid scoring from James Horner, and the casting aside from Arnie (whose accent is distractingly horrible) is simply delicious.
Tough Russian cop Captain Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent to America to capture Georgian criminal Viktor Rostavili (Ed O'Ross), who is in Chicago master-minding a massive international drugs operation.
Unaccustomed to U.S. police procedure, the fish-out-of-water cop employs no-nonsense, Soviet-style law enforcement to get his job done, much to the dismay of brash American detective Art Ridzik (James Belushi), with whom he has been partnered.The problem with this film is that it doesn't live up to its title: instead of a red hot action flick that burns up the screen with intense ballistic gunfights and spectacular scenes of destruction and chaos, we get a rather tepid buddy cop movie, heavy on the humour and frustratingly light on the carnage.
This mightn't have been so bad if the comedy had worked well, or if there had at least been some kind of chemistry between the leads, but the predictable script rarely delivers decent laughs and James Belushi makes for an uncharismatic foil to Arnie's efficient, stoic bad-ass.When the action does kick in, it's all too brief and staged with surprisingly little style or imagination by director Walter Hill.
"Red Heat" became the first American film for which permission was granted by the Soviet authorities to shoot in Red Square itself.Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the part of Russian supercop Ivan Danko.
The Comedy is Inconsistent with a Couple of Funny Lines but James Belushi Overacts so Shamelessly that most of the time He is just a Cringe magnet.Arnold is OK with His Terminator like Performance, of a Stereotypical Russian, Works well.
A Mess really, this is One that the Director probably would like to have back because Considering the Money Spent and the Talent on Display, Walter Hill is much too Good to make a Flick this Bad.It was a Money Maker and was made at the Height of Eighties Buddy Cop Movies and Arnold's Career was Peeking.
Whereas there was never any question of shooting "Gorky Park" in Moscow- Helsinki stood in for the Russian capital- "Red Heat" became the first American film for which permission was granted by the Soviet authorities to shoot in Red Square itself.Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the hero, Moscow drugs officer Ivan Danko, who travels to America to seek the extradition of Viktor Rostavili a Georgian drug dealer who has fled the Soviet Union after murdering several cops, including Danko's partner.
Whatever.)Arnold Schwarzenegger is Russian cop Ivan Danko, and James Belushi is American cop Art Ritzig.
Danko wants Viktor.* The Chicago police are content (initially) to let Danko stomp around Chicago trying to nab Viktor, thinking he will do their work for them and keep Ritzig out of their hair for a whileOf course Danko and Ritzig end up spending half the movie shooting at, and chasing bad guys all over Chicago, destroying much of the background scenery in the process.The strength of Red Heat over say Commando, is that Danko is not a wisecracking superhero, he is an efficient by the book cop, playing the straight man to much of Ritzig's rambling and sarcasm.
Jackie Burch casting is perfect, Schwarzenegger's Danko character is the just right as the fish out water Russian and James Belushi is on top form as the wise cracking cynical detective, it's the perfect 'buddy' cop movie.
if you like buddy cop movies,you should like this one.the film stars Arnie as strait laced, no nonsense Moscow detective Captain Ivan Danko,who must team up with loose cannon,goof ball,undisciplined Chicago cop Sgt.Art Ridzik(James Belushi).
i won't give away why they have to team up.i'll let you watch the movie to find out yourself.these two are about as mismatched a pair as possible.the movie is ripe with misunderstandings and comedic moments owing to the different tactics each employ on the case.Belushi and Arnie work great off each other.this is really a fun movie.in my mind,it's better than that other buddy movie "48 Hours" which pairs up Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy.if you like that movie,i can't see how you would not like "Red Heat".one of the elements that make this film work is the fact it takes place in 1988,where the political climate between Russia and the U.S was much different than today.anyway,for me,"this movie is funny,action packed and all around entertaining.i give "Red Heat" 8/10.
Red Heat, the first and only Arnold Schwarzenegger buddy-cop film.The Oak is a Russian cop named Ivan Danko who comes to Chicago to bring back a drug dealer, Viktor (Ed O' Ross).
Danko and Ridzik begin to like each other while hunting Viktor and end up having to stop a major drug deal.Red Heat is an underrated masterpiece, mainly because it's trashed for being a rip-off of 48 Hrs.The bus chase is something that was remembered from this movie.
You must have good chemistry, especially in a cop-buddy film, and Red Heat has it.
Whilst this movie has many stereotypes, with Arnie in his terminator 1 role and James Belushi running through wise crack lines at one a minute, I liked this film a lot.
Just as good, if not better, as most of Arnold's more popular films it's in "Red Heat" that he finally puts it all together not just in the actions sequences but in his comical interacting with his American police partner James Belushi playing Det. Ridzik.
With the Russian's humiliated, a Chicago cop killed & Viktor free again Captain Danko teams up with Gallager's partner Art Ridzik (James Belushi) to bring Viktor to justice...Co-written, co-produced & directed by Walter Hill this buddy buddy mismatched cop action thriller is not too dissimilar to his earlier film 48 Hrs.
The cast is pretty good, Arnie is rather wooden, Belushi is fun, Gina Gershon is alright in a small role, Ed O'Ross makes for a good villain although I'm not sure about his accent while Laurence Fishburne does OK in an early role before he hit the big time with The Matrix trilogy.Red Heat is a film that you can't really say much about, it's a fairly generic buddy buddy mismatched cop action thriller although taken for what it is it's above average for the genre.
It's basic, formulaic cops-and-drug-dealers stuff, but expertly directed by action specialist Walter Hill, who also made other violent buddy-movies like "48 Hours" and its sequel.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi, Ed O'Ross and Gina Gershon star in this 1988 action film.
Problem is, even at its best, the "buddy cop genre" is pretty stupid.Here Hill has Arnold Schwarzenegger play a Russian police officer who finds himself teamed up with James Belushi, a foul mouthed cop from Chicago.