City Heat

Plot synopsis:
In Kansas City, 1933, near the end of Prohibition, a police lieutenant known by his last name, Speer (Eastwood), is acquainted with a former cop turned private eye named Mike Murphy (Reynolds). Speer and Murphy were once good friends, which changed after Murphy left the force.
On a rainy night, Speer comes to a diner for coffee. Two goons arrive, looking for Murphy. They pounce the minute Murphy arrives, starting a fistfight. Speer, no fan of Murphy's, ignores the fight until a goon causes him to spill his coffee. Both goons are thrown through the front door. Murphy sarcastically thanks Speer for saving his life.
The two rivals have eyes for Murphy's secretary Addy (Jane Alexander). She loves both and proves it when, after tenderly kissing Murphy goodbye, goes on a date with Speer. Murphy does have a new romantic interest, a rich socialite named Caroline Howley (Madeline Kahn), but finds himself unable to commit.
Speer and Addy go to a boxing match at which the mob boss Primo Pitt (Rip Torn) is present. Murphy's partner Dehl Swift (Richard Roundtree) is also there, and seems to be in cahoots with Pitt and his gang. Swift is in possession of a briefcase whose contents, secret accounting records of rival gang boss Leon Coll's operations, are the target of both Pitt's and Coll's gangs.
Swift, tailed by Speer and Addy, is confronted by Pitt's thugs at his apartment with Ginny Lee (Irene Cara) taken hostage. Ginny Lee manages to escape but Swift is shot and killed during a struggle with Pitt. A thug opens the briefcase but there's nothing inside. He picks up Swift's body and throws it out the window, where it lands on the roof of Speer's parked car (which is occupied by the horrified Addy, who waits after Speer goes to investigate in the apartment).
Murphy vows revenge on Pitt for killing his partner. He asks Speer for assistance and they form a reluctant alliance. After meeting with Murphy at a movie, Ginny is confronted by Pitt's thugs outside the theatre. As she tries to escape, she is hit by a car and seriously injured.
Murphy and Speer vow to avenge her and also to rescue Caroline, who has been kidnapped by Pitt's gang to force Murphy to hand over the missing records. A final showdown with Pitt and his gang occurs in a warehouse (where Speer continuously and humorously keeps pulling out weapons larger than Murphy's) and in a bordello (where Murphy shows up in costume to rescue Caroline).
As what's left of Pitt's gang are hauled off by police, Coll shows up holding Addy at gunpoint and demanding his records. Murphy and Speer hand over the briefcase in exchange for Addy, but the case is booby-trapped. Coll's car is blown up with Coll in it. In the end, the rivals have become friends again, at least until a casual remark leads to another all-out fight in a nightclub and ends with Speer and Murphy stepping outside and bickering, face to face.

Tags: neo noir, cult, humor, depressing, murder

Review:
By most accounts, Clint Eastwood hijacked his long-awaited teaming with fellow superstar Burt Reynolds and the credits bear this out.
After showing writer-director Blake Edwards the door, Eastwood recruited the more malleable Richard Benjamin to direct (in his autobiography, Reynolds said Benjamin was "terrified" of Eastwood), ordered Edwards' script be given a rewrite by Joseph Stinson whose only other credit was the previous year's Dirty Harry film, "Sudden Impact," brought in key players from his Malpaso crew (notably Fritz Manes as producer and Lennie Niehaus as composer), and even dumped Edwards' title, "Kansas City Jazz," in favor of the equally imaginative (I'm kidding) "City Heat."Despite Dirty Harry's takeover, "City Heat" emerges as a showcase for Reynolds.
If "City Heat" had been made that year, it would have been a superblockbuster.But by 1984,  Reynolds' career was already declining (too many insipid "Cannonball Run" movies.)  Eastwood -- who after "Dirty Harry" never worked with major co-stars -- may have finally said "yes" to co-starring with Reynolds because he was clearly the bigger star in 1984.
But even Eastwood was starting to age.All the problems others have related here are true, plus one more: Reynolds was hit in the face by a stunt man with a real chair while filming the opening diner fight scene.
Reynolds was a trouper and finished the movie (he is quite funny in it), but one of the reasons the movie is so short and incoherent is that the injured Reynolds couldn't work very long in the film (notice: in the final fight, "Reynolds" is wearing a wolf mask -- because that's not Reynolds.)"City Heat" opened at Xmas against "Beverly Hills Cop" and new star Eddie Murphy cleaned the clocks of old stars Eastwood and Reynolds .
We know this much; Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds) and Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood) are acquaintances on some level.
The weight of expectation for City Heat was massive, two iconic Hollywood actors together in a buddy buddy cop movie, one with nods and homages to film noir and old school gangster movies, it wasn't unreasonable to expect a movie to sit with the best on Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynold's then CV's circa 1984.
Lots of fun here, though, as Clint and Burt, one a cop, the other an ex-cop turned PI, reluctantly team up to cut a swathe through the gangsters ruling the roost in prohibition era Kansas City.Eastwood does his straight backed machismo act, throwing awesome punches along the way, while Reynolds is wonderfully cheerful as a tough guy who all things considered, would rather not get hurt!
This is one of the only times that Clint Eastwood & Burt Reynolds got together.
Richard Benjamin, a funny man directed, and I am surprised he didn't do better with it as he knows what good comedy is.While the movie is fun, it is not funny enough.
When a rival gang boss goes after the missing records, he is forced to team up with his ex-partner cop Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood) to fight both gangs before KC erupts in a mob war.From a Blake Edwards story, this takes place when both Burt Reynold and Clint Eastwood was hitting a slow patch after being red hot.
This doesn't deserve all the hate it gets.If the finished film doesn't quite come together as it should,it comes down to the fact that the shooting was a troubled production.Two actresses quitting their roles,a director been replaced and Burt Reynolds suffering an injury that caused him to become addicted to painkillers and becoming increasingly difficult to work with,and forcing Clint Eastwood to handle a lot of the tension amongst the cast and director.Bearing all that in mind,this is still far from been the worst of it's kind.Set in the 30's,former police partners Eastwood and Reynolds are caught in the crossfire between two rival gangs when Reynolds' sidekick Richard Roundtree (Shaft)tries to con the local Mr.Big.The plot is a little confusing at first but by the halfway point everything makes sense and sets up the film's action-packed second half.There's plenty to enjoy here.Eastwood and Reynolds' banter (despite his difficulties during,Reynolds still does quite well)the settings,and the shootouts.One of the best things about the shootouts is the lack of intrusive music on the soundtrack which for me ruins a lot of movies.This is a surprisingly pleasing combination of comedy and film noir thriller,with Eastwood in particular sending up his own macho image at every opportunity..
When made back in 1984, it seemed like a great idea of having two of Hollywood's biggest moneymaking actors back then (Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds) starring together in an action/comedy that takes place during the 1930s.
Roger Ebert made a memorable take on "City Heat" saying quote: "Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds are stuck in one of the biggest bombs of the year, an incomprehensible mess disguised as a period gangster picture".
"City Heat" was so bad to most people that this was the first and last time Eastwood and Reynolds starred in a movie together.
However, inexplicably, the film isn't particularly good and I would go so far as to say it is a pretty full picture overall...which is odd for a gangster movie.Mike Murphy (Reynolds) is a private eye who used to be a cop.
At the same time, a tough but laconic cop, Lt. Speer (Eastwood) just happens to be hanging out and eventually gets involved as well.The biggest problem with the film is the lack of chemistry between Eastwood and Reynolds.
He survived on a liquid diet and popping A LOT of pills, he says it was about 50 a day (this led to Reynolds becoming addicted to painkillers) and lost over thirty pounds by the time the film wrapped (leading to rumours he had AIDS) This accident had dire consequences for Reynolds career, which he would never recover from.Plot In A Paragraph: A slick private eye (Reynolds) and tough police lieutenant (Eastwood) once best friends and partners, now bitter rivals reluctantly team up to investigate a murder.I love the opening of this movie, in the first of several neat period touches, City Heat opens with a black and white version of Warner Bros famous WB logo, this immediately sets the right feel for the era.City Heat's opening credits appear in an old time Broadway style font.
With Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood in the starring roles, we all excepted a really entertaining, good movie.
City Heat (1984) 1/2 (out of 4) Horrendous film about a cop (Clint Eastwood) and private eye (Burt Reynolds) who are investigating the same case.
You would think that with Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood this would be a solid gangster comedy, if not great, but you'd be wrong.The opening scene where Reynolds gets in a brawl in a diner while Eastwood coolly sits nearby keys off that "City Heat" is not meant to be taken seriously; in fact, it's downright goofy.
Detectives Speer (Clint Eastwood) and Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds) were very good friends but the lack of discipline and a certain involvement with bad companies from the part of Murphy made these two guys not get along very well.
In the middle of all this there's plenty of mob godfathers (played by Tony LoBianco and Rip Torn) looking for something that Mike's partner hide.The whole plot is confusing and there's not enough space for incredible action scenes but at least writer Blake Edwards made a very funny movie.
So that kind of Eastwood by Eastwood condition, which would have him completely later, left its early bad effects on this poor movie !#_(Burt Reynolds) broke his jaw while he was shooting his first scene, the first scene of the movie also, then he got too many medicines along with painkillers, hence the lively star lost 20 KG in no time, and maybe they changed some parts in the script to handle that carefully.
Despite some action comedy and little funny lines, the script looked so disassembled, Eastwood's comedy looked fabricated and tasteless, the time that the 2 stars shared on screen was less than 15 minutes, and then there was that scene where (Reynolds) was talking about the greatness and the difficulty of being a cop; like we're in a serious movie or wannabe one!
Basically we didn't even know the reason why (Reynolds)'s character left the force and turned into detective !!I think that the movie's last line is the fairest review it can get : (You'll always be "shorty" to me) as it failed in fulfilling its main promise concerning 2 great icons in one hot action comedy, or making anything perfect anyway.
There is nothing spoof about the rest of the script, its just a straightforward hardboiled noir imitation.So this movie does two incompetent things: directly appropriates plot elements and scenes from previous and better noirs, and performs them in a way that isn't spoof enough to laugh, and isn't serious enough to be taken seriously.You can tell this is right by watching the two leads.
There is nothing spoof about the rest of the script, its just a straightforward hardboiled noir imitation.So this movie does two incompetent things: directly appropriates plot elements and scenes from previous and better noirs, and performs them in a way that isn't spoof enough to laugh, and isn't serious enough to be taken seriously.You can tell this is right by watching the two leads.
CITY HEAT is a decent action/comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood.
There are some funny moments throughout the film, mostly from Eastwood and Reynolds, but some of the scene's went on longer than they should have, especially the shootout's and fistfights.
CITY HEAT (1984) ** Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Jane Alexander, Madeline Kahn, Rip Torn, Tony Lo Bianco, Irene Cara.
So-so shoot'em up set in Kansas City circa 1930s with former cop duo Burt and Clint up against the usual each trying to out spoof their tough guy images with mixed results..
Despite starring two great actors in Clint eastwood and Burt Reynolds City Heat falters all through its running time.
I really enjoyed watching Clint Eastwood and the late Burt Reynolds in their only teaming in City Heat.
After Burt Reynolds died recently, I looked for many of his films online, including this one which was released 34 years ago and turned out to be the only teaming of Burt and Clint Eastwood during the time they were the two biggest box office stars in the country.
"City Heat" pairs two macho screen icons, Clint "Dirty Harry" Eastwood and Burt "The Bandit" Reynolds, in an average cops & gangsters saga set in 1933 Kansas City.
They must work together when Mikes' partner Dehl Swift (Richard "Shaft" Roundtree) buys a whole lot of trouble by getting mixed up with competing gangsters Primo Pitt (Rip Torn) and Leon Coll (Tony Lo Bianco), and a stolen set of ledgers.There are some interesting behind-the-scenes stories that are, in truth, more amusing than the tale being spun in the movie.
When Burt Reynold's career took a nose dive after making stupid movies like Cannonball Run, I thought this might be a comeback but only to succeed by driving another nail in the coffin for Mr. Reynolds.Reynolds plays detective Mike Murphy an irresponsible smart ass who was partners with Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood).
That Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Richard Benjamin and Blake Edwards just didn't say know to the whole thing..
We're left with Eastwood calling Reynolds short.** City Heat (12/5/84) Richard Benjamin ~ Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jane Alexander, Madeline Kahn.
Eastwood and Reynolds seem to almost sleepwalk through their roles, and the supporting players like Madeline Kahn and Irene Cara are forced to rely on characters that stereotype characters we might have seen in another movie.
At first I was very excited to watch this movie because Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds (two of my favorite personalities but not actors) would make a good team and the theatrical trailer looked funny.
Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood detonate everything in " City Heat "!!!.
Two consecrated stars, an efficient direction and a story loaded with action and tension: those are the ingredients of "City Heat", a comic adventure that happens in the decade of forty, starring the movie-stars Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood.
" City Heat " is a quality amusement, a film that  entertains and makes us to give good laughs!by narrating the story of two rivals who have to team-up and face a powerful gangster, the director Richard Benjamin tries to offer his best work: he seems determined to build the sceneries with an extreme precision of details, he counted with an excellent picture and he extracted of his cast the best interpretation!at the same time comfortable in doing comic and delicious scenes, Benjamin also comes out well in orchestrating thrilling action scenes, as the final sequence, of the explosion of the car...
It has been a long time since Burt and Clint, two great friends, planned to work together and both, as choosing  " City Heat "  did very well.
The film facilitates and impels the two thoroughly to explore their characteristics and interpretation methods: Burt shows once again, in the character Mike Murphy, the cynic, charming and funny adventurer, like the Bandit, of " Smokey and The Bandit ", whom the public knows so well, and Clint is a hard and implacable cop who never takes a shot but he gets to kill all his enemies, as his character Dirty Harry...
"City Heat" will show everything !beyond of being one of the best films of Burt Reynolds's career, it is a memorable and exciting work!this is a proof that two consecrated stars, a competent direction and a good story always constitute an excellent show!don't forget the popcorn, call the friends and relax: get ready to embark in a hallucinating day!!!.
Pitt's men kidnap Murphy's girlfriend and Murphy teams up with Speer and the two work to find the books, rescue Murphy's girlfriend and bring down the gangsters.Given that this film stars both Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, both major stars when it was made, it is rather surprising that these days it seems totally forgotten.
The teaming up of Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds in City Heat could have been a box office success, however this turned out to be a complete disappointment.
The lukewarm story and the desperate grab for laughs didn't help either.Set in Kansas City, 1933 where the Prohibition era ruled the streets, Police Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood) and Private Investigator Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds) are former friends turned bitter enemies who find themselves reluctantly forming an uneasy alliance again after the death of Murphy's partner Swift (Richard Roundtree) after attempting to blackmail mobster Primo Pitt (Rip Torn) with Leon Coll's (Tony Lo Bianco) accounting records, another rival mobster.
Speer and Murphy must investigate Swift's murder as well as prevent an all out mobster war which threatens to erupt in the middle of Kansas City.Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds are two actors who could do no harm no matter which movie they are involved in.
The story must work otherwise it is a waste of time and effort, and City Heat failed dismally.Unless you are a fan of Clint Eastwood or Burt Reynolds, this is not worth it.4/10..
Casting Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds together in an action comedy sounds good when one begins to think about it but it doesn't work when it actually happens.
Many reviewers have missed the mark when judging "City Heat" starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds.
This movie has some rawness and grit, interesting story line, plot, and sub-plots, with Eastwood as a tough no-nonsense detective, Speer, and Reynolds as an ex-cop and Private Eye, Murphy, who butt heads with each other, in Prohibition-era 1933 (last year of Prohibition, in fact), but team up to investigate mob murder and corruption.
The plot also calls for rescuing Alexander who Eastwood fancies, Madeline Kahn who's Burt's girlfriend and chanteuse Irene Cara.City Heat is not at the top of the list of films by Eastwood and Reynolds.
It had the two biggest stars in the world at the time, together, in what should have been a fun romp.But while there are a couple of good scenes ( the opening fight, and the shoot out ), the film makes no sense whatsoever, and becomes boring, very very quickly.Eastwood appears to be on autopilot, seemingly knowing that this could be the biggest film of his career, and Reynolds, is over the top wacky, but in a really annoying way.The sets are authentic, but it appears that all the action takes place on one street, and every situation concludes in the same apartment.Its a shame, because the opening has so much potential, but falters very soon after.A huge disappointment....
There are frequent gun fights, but hardly anyone is hurt.It might have been an attraction to pair the two stars, Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, who were at the top of their craft to star in "City Heat", but their characters do not make much sense.
Cop comedy with Eastwood and Reynolds, done in film noir style..
Then he becomes a fighting machine.Burt Reynolds is his friend and investigator Mike Murphy, who is constantly the butt of "short" jokes next to Eastwood.Other notables include Jane Alexander, Madeline Kahn, and Rip Torn.
A Film that Grows on You. In the first hour of City Heat I was beginning to ask myself why I liked Eastwood so much.
Burt Reynolds is really the star and main character playing tough guy private detective Mike Murphy who seems to always be getting himself into trouble.
Clint Eastwood makes more of a cameo appearance as Lieutenant Speer, who is in the movie enough but he's just kind of there.
Richard Roundtree also does an admirable job if not brief as Dehl Swift.I really think City Heat would appeal far more to the older movie going crowd who would appreciate it's gritty detective setting and Reynolds and Eastwood in their equally gritty, dry humor performances.