Dead Heat
Tags: suicidal

Plot synopsis:
Pally LaMarr (Kiefer Sutherland) is a 35-year-old Boston cop who is forced into medical retirement due to a heart condition. Depressed and thinking of suicide, his on-again-off-again estranged wife Charlotte (Radha Mitchell) suggests he spend some quality time with his step-brother Ray (Anthony LaPaglia). Charlotte and Pally are at odds because she wants children and he doesn't.Ray is a small time crook and hustler who has an eye on a racehorse with a medical condition that he thinks he can get on the cheap, and with some minor surgery, can be transformed into a winner. Pally reluctantly goes along with the idea and they buy the horse. With a little help from a philandering veterinarian (he's been cheating on his wife and is being blackmailed by Ray) the surgery is performed and the horse's running performance is greatly improved.Ray enlists the help of his friend Tony (Lothaire Bluteau), a washed-up jockey who owes a large gambling debt to mobster Frank Finnegan (Daniel Benzali). After some training, they enter the horse in a race and it wins. Finnegan gets wind of the horse's potential and, seeing a money-making opportunity, tells Tony that he will forgive the gambling debt in exchange for the horse. Driven by desperation, Tony agrees and makes the trade.When Pally and Ray find out what Tony has done, they confront him at his apartment and make threats only to be thwarted at gunpoint by Tony's precocious young daughter Sam (Kay Panabaker). The three men then hatch a plot to steal the horse back from Finnegan. They go to Finnegan's estate in the middle of the night and go to get the horse out of the barn. (They mistakenly steal the wrong horse at first which makes for a bit of comic relief). They make their escape with one of Finnegan's hoods in hot pursuit. Tony rides away on the horse while Pally and Ray create a distraction. The hood follows Pally and Ray into the woods where Pally is forced to shoot the hood in self-defense.Now that the trio have their horse back, Finnegan again approaches weak-link Tony and offers him a new credit line in Finnegan's betting parlor. Tony accepts, leaves his daughter Sam on Pally's doorstep and heads to Finnegan's place where he again runs up a huge debt. Finnegan again offers to forgive the debt if Tony will intentionally lose the next race. Meanwhile, Pally finds Sam on his doorstep at two A.M., takes her up to his apartment to get her out of the cold, and puts her to bed in the hide-a-bed sofa. Charlotte shows up, discovers Sam, and thinks Pally has sunk to an all-time low even though Pally has done nothing inappropriate with Sam.Charlotte befriends Sam and takes on the role of her stand-in mother; a role she has always wanted. At the next race, Tony is visibly nervous because Finnegan and his thugs are there. When the race begins, Tony holds the horse in last place until he comes around the last turn and sees Finnegan. Tony then decides he will no longer be intimidated and spurs the horse on to pass the whole pack and win by a nose. Pally, Ray, and Tony take off running when the see Finnegan; Finnegan and his thugs chase them into the stables.All encounter each other in a paddock area; Pally opens a gate to let some horses loose as a distraction. There is a shootout in the paddock. Tony is shot by Finnegan but Finnegan gets his comeuppance when he gets stampeded to death. Ray is injured and is rescued by Pally. Pally returns to the middle of the stampede to rescue Tony and Sam (who has come to her father's aid). He gets them to safety but suffers a heart attack in the process. Tony later dies.Pally and Charlotte finally reconcile in the hospital when he is recovering from his heart attack. They move back in together, taking Sam along, and live happily ever after.

Review: Great chemistry makes a fun movie.
I ordered this DVD without even seeing the movie first, because I am a fan of both Kiefer Sutherland and of Anthony LaPaglia.
From the little I read about it, I thought it was gonna be a straight drama, so, what a pleasant surprise to find so much humor in the movie.
Kiefer, after working non-stop for years, is finally getting long over-due recognition for his excellent work in FOX TV's "24", and Anthony LaPaglia has been a fave since I saw him in the much underseen "29th Street".
These two stars have great onscreen chemistry and it makes for a fun movie to watch.
Kiefer plays a cop who is forced to retire after a heart attack, and isn't happy about being sidelined at age 35.
Anthony plays his "on the other side of the law" hyper half-brother, who drags him kicking, into buying a racehorse.
They get involved with mob guys and there are some very dark moments due to the danger suddenly brought to their lives, but, that horse brings Kiefer back to life and he and his brother will do anything to keep it.
I think you'll like this flick..
I rented this movie because I'm a Kiefer Sutherland fan and I was really surprised!
It's a really good story.
The actors deliver great performances!
There is a love story, an action story and some good laughs.
To get him back on track his step brother proposes they buy a slow racing horse since Pally loves horses.
By doing this, they get the attention of some mafia bosses who want the horse.
It's an original story definitely worth watching.
I will give it an 8 because the plot can be a little far-fetched at times..
Ok, so this isn't a great movie.
I admit, I dug the so-so romance between Sutherland and his estranged wife.
I found the entire plot, while ill-constructed, fun enough to pass as a really well-meaning movie.
It was fun, and the acting was good all around.
Being the sucker for saucy fellows that I am, seeing Sutherland as such a good person was rather surprising, but he played it well all the same.
I can't say I'd recommend this one for anything more than the channel surfer or the die hard Sutherland fan, but it's got some great moments and a fun little story, despite moments of obvious cheese and silliness..
Dead Heat "I liked it".
I would have to say I liked this movie, No I am not a couch potato!
But I am a huge fan of Keifer Sutherland!!
He is one of those actors that a movie can be dull but though he is in it, it is a movie worth watching!!
I agree that Dead Heat does not have "blockbuster" written all over it but I understood the story line, A man that had to give up his career due to a heart condition, then he gets a opportunity to live a life-long dream with of course some turbulence on the way, But in the end he got the girl actually 2 and lived happily ever after!!.
A Reasonable Movie With Ups and Downs.
In Boston, the thirty-five years old detective Pally LaMarr (Kiefer Sutherland) has a heart attack while chasing a bandit, and is retired.
Very depressed, he is almost committing suicide, when his wife Charlotte LaMarr (the gorgeous Australian actress Radha Mitchell), of whom he is in the middle of a process of divorce, calls his half-brother Ray LaMarr (Anthony La Paglia) to visit him.
Ray is a small-time crook, and proposes the honest Polly to buy a horse per US$ 3,000.00.
With a minor surgery and a suitable jockey, this horse would be a winner.
Pally accepts, but Tony LaRoche ( Lothaire Bluteau),  the jockey invited by Ray, is an addicted gambler in probation, having a debt of US$ 80,000.00 with the Mafia.
Due to this invitation, Pally gets involved in many troubles.
This movie has many ups and downs.
My impression is that the director got lost between a comedy and an action / crime / thriller movie.
The result is not funny, there is no black humor and there is not much action.
It may be a reasonable entertainment for a less exigent viewer.
The story seems to wander a lot, but somehow holds together enough to be enjoyable.
The mixture of comedy and violence at times does not work well, and is the main fault I have with "Dead Heat".
Kiefer Sutherland and Anthony LaPaglia have good chemistry when the film is in comedy mode, but their relationship loses steam as the drama increases.
The racing scenes are unpolished, and by the way, what racetrack keeps horses in a corral?
The on again, off again, love interest between Kiefer and and Radha Mitchell is somewhat redundant and could have been trimmed.
Not So Innocent Fun. This is an enjoyable movie with polished acting, humerous one liners and a plot that sees a cop who has retired on medical grounds thrown into a situation that would see his doctor wanting to put him back in the force.It is not the most original movie you will see, with the now expected cast including, the ex-wife, dodgy brother and cute bad kid BUT throw in a bent jockey, cheap racehorse and the mob and the whole thing ticks along nicely.
This movie won't win oscars but will win friends...6.5/10.
Its such a good fun movie.
Good story line with a seroius side to it but aslo very funny.
Keifer and Anthony work so well off each other.I would like to see them work together again.
Very enjoyable film.
And of course the horse is beautiful.
Sutherland & La Paglia do their jobs his well, as do the supporting cast.
Besides, any film with Lothaire Bluteau as a mobster is fun to watch.
good enjoyable film.
I thought this film was fun to watch and I was surprised that it was quite funny as well as having a serious side to the story.
I am a huge Kiefer Sutherland fan and would happily listen and watch him read the telephone directory so perhaps not the most objective reviewer of his films.
However, I thought he had good comic timing and would love to see him do some more comedy/drama stuff.
It was nice to have a story with a feel-good factor to it and with a happy ending - its a feel good film.
I am not bothered if there are technical mistakes with the horse/racing sections - I really don't think they matter.
Its the story itself that is the important thing about this film - the relationship between the two brothers, between Kiefer's character and his estranged wife and his coming to terms with the end of his career as a police officer.
I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to watch a good drama with good actors.
Good job, Kiefer!!.
Good Action, Good Acting, Overall a Fun Movie.
Although Dead Heat lacks in budgeting it doesn't lack in casting.
This cast works well as a team with no single actor trying to "hog" screen time.
With a good balance of deep thought and funny moments Dead Heat can please many viewers at a time.
The cinematography is wonderful and there are many shots that will take your breath away as you watch this film.
However, weakness does occur in the storyline, but most of the time the viewer is too busy watching the movie to really care.
Sutherland and LaPaglia work wonderfully together and create a very black and white duo on screen.
This movie draws much humor from the disagreements between their characters because the dialogue is witty and the body language is accurate.It is a shame this movie can't be found in very many video stores as it is the perfect addition to any Sutherland or LaPaglia fans movie collection..
Action Comedy Falls Flat.
I must have seen a different movie than the one that others have reviewed.
There were several plot lines going with an unbelievable final scene that unsuccessfully tried to bring the loose ends together.
I was not impressed with the "buddy" relationship between Kiefer Sutherland and Anthony LaPaglia...it was not believable, charming, or funny.
Radha Mitchell is easy on the eyes, and Kaye Panabaker was cute as the small daughter of Tony the jockey.
I did look up Kaye Panabaker, and she is apparently a former actress who did not make it acting beyond her early efforts as a youngster, and I thought she had potential based upon her performance in this movie.
The Dead Heat (2002) movie I saw was terrible, a waste of time, a ridiculous plot....and I want my ninety minutes back.
There is another movie with the same title made in 1999.
Perhaps that would be the movie to check out..
definitely one of Kiefer's badder movies.
I admit this was one pretty bad movie.
Kiefer has definitely done his share of bad films.
and this is one of them The only reason I'm posting is because of the extremely ignorant comment posted by senortuffy How can you say Kiefer Sutherland's career is in the toilet?
that lousy TV show that he stars in I assume you're referring to 24 is THE MOST WATCHED TELEVISION SHOW IN America Kiefer Sutherland and that show have won a lot of awards that's pretty good for a TV show which you refer to as "lousy" have ever even watched a single episode?
you don't like Kiefer Sutherland and his work fine.
Very nearly a non-film save some good chemistry between Sutherland and LaPaglia.
When he suffers heart attack on the job, resulting in a criminal escaping, Pally LaMarr retires from the police force.
Turning to drink and contemplating suicide he is offered distraction by his step brother Ray LaMarr who tries to bring him in on a deal to buy a race horse.
The horse is slow but Ray realises that minor surgery will free him up.
They go through with the deal and bring Tony LaRoche on board as the jockey.
However LaRoche owes money to the mob, so the mob take the horse.
Stealing the horse back, Ray makes a deal to pay off the debt within a month or to give up the horse.I watched this film because I do like Kiefer Sutherland and have grown keener on him now that I am watching him weekly on 24.
I had reasonable hopes for this because it did start quite well and was quite stylish in the opening 10 minutes.
However after this point the darkness opens up and it appears to be an uneasy mix of comedy and drama, neither of which really work.
The plot is very plodding and very little actually happens in the film  certainly there is no real tension for the most part.Events happen which are almost without consequence (for example one of the mob goes missing but nothing is really mentioned of it again in the film) and things just seem to meander until an ending that is far too neat for it's own good.
In fact the final scene of the film is silly and abrupt  like the film didn't so much end as, well, stop.
It is mildly interesting but this has nothing to do with the plot.What made it watchable was the chemistry between Sutherland and LaPaglia, although neither gave a particularly good performance.
They came across well together and made for an pairing that I'd like to see again in a much better film.
Sutherland is a little hampered as he doesn't know how to play his character  at times he is comic, others he is dark, others he is free and light.
LaPaglia is a poor character here, his `furgett-abot it' acting is clichéd and tired and wastes his talents.
Bluteau is really, really poor  his accent is way off somewhere and his character is as thin as paper.
The support cast are OK but have little to do  but even with a dream support cast I doubt this film could have been lifted above the material.The direction etc is pretty standard.
After some style early on the film falls away and uses too much rock music etc and lots of `clever' shots that are just pointless  more time should have been spend on the story and delivering characters and drama.
Overall I had reasonable hopes but these were dashed early on.
It delivers so very little that it is almost a non-film.
Kiefer Sutherland is and always has been a talented, powerful actor, who showed promise at a young age but has yet to find his place on the big screen.
Why then, you may ask, did he decide it was a good idea to star in this inane piece of made-for-TV drivel?
We can only hope he fired his agent afterwards.The plot involves a retired police officer (Sutherland) being convinced to buy a stake in a racehorse by his small-time crook brother (Anthony LaPaglia), only to get caught up in a caper involving the local mob.
All while trying to win back the affections of his estranged wife (Rhada Mitchell).
It's hard to concentrate when you're fighting the urge to fall asleep for the best part of 90 minutes.An extremely dull series of events follow: so basic, unexciting and unfunny you have to marvel at how somebody could possibly pitch such a script, let alone succeed in getting it produced.
A week-night, graveyard-slot film if ever I've seen one.Usually I would think nothing more of such an effort, vowing to avoid future post-midnight screenings of movies I've never heard of.
But with the acting talent involved in this it warranted a comment.
I feel relieved for Sutherland and LaPaglia who have since struck gold with their prime-time television hits, and Mitchell who is continuing to forge a nice line of critically-acclaimed Hollywood roles (although, to be frank, neither of them manage to add any spark to the dreary proceedings around them in Dead Heat).The only saving grace for the actors involved is that this effort flew so far under the radar it was never in a position where it could seriously endanger any of their careers.That was an hour and a half of my life I will never get back..
"Dead Heat" wander schizophrenically between comedy and drama with no clear sense of purpose as it wends its way through a story which starts out okay and becomes increasingly lacking in purpose and vision and looking more and more like a cheap made for tv flick as it winds down.
The film is not without its moments, but they're few and far between making "Dead Heat" little more than a wheezing and lukewarm small screen watch for the couch potato.
The plot is completely implausible from start to finish.
Sutherland's character suffers a heart attack in the opening scene which one would wish ended this debacle.
This adds nothing tangible to the film.
He and his wife are estranged but can't seem to keep their hands off each other though he's unable to perform and she's getting it on with some nerd.
The loser jockey has a precocious daughter whose presence provides nothing but for a possible catalyst to reunite the lead with his dim-witted wife.
The final scene (spoiler) is enough to make a viewer dizzy with the race horses galloping around an indoor corral ad nauseum selectively stomping the bad guys to death, yet somehow avoiding everyone else.
The reviewers keen hope that the second "big one" might result in death was dashed.
It's great that Sutherland and LaPaglia, who looked ridiculous with silly chin growth and bleached hair, have found apparent success with their TV series as they're both decent actors.
Why Daniel Benzali, an excellent character actor, allowed himself to be included in this mess is inexplicable..
Just a terrible film..
This movie has absolutely nothing going for it.
The action is contrived, it isn't funny, and the acting is lousy.Kiefer Sutherland is the focus of the movie.
He's an ex-cop in Boston (the movie was filmed in British Columbia, with Hastings Park the track shown), who had a heart attack on the job and retired.
He starts drinking heavily and his wife leaves him.
His half brother (Anthony Lapaglia) wants to cheer him up, so he talks him into buying a race horse who only needs a minor operation to return to his former glory.
But the jockey they hire to ride the horse is into the mob for lots of money, so the two owners have to win a big bet on an upcoming stakes race in order to pay everyone off and keep the horse.Sutherland and Lapaglia play this as a comedy, but it isn't funny when one of the mob guys is killed (Kiefer and his estranged wife, who he's trying to win back, go and bury the body while the jockey's little girl sleeps in the back seat - nice).
The jockey double-crosses the mobsters and wins the race, and is then shot while attempting to get away.
The movie ends when a goofy and contrite Kiefer Sutherland, walks out of the hospital after his second heart attack and shows up at his wife's door, where the jockey's little girl is staying.
They make up and presumably live happily ever after.I have no idea what the director was thinking when he made this mess.
The racing action is all wrong - anyone who's ever been around horses can spot dozens of mistakes in the film.
The attempts at humor fall flat too.
And the central character is someone with virtually no redeeming qualities.Kiefer Sutherland started out with such great promise ("The Lost Boys" was great) but between films like this and that lousy television show he stars in, I think his career is irretrievably in the toilet.