Red Heat Special Edition DVD Review:

Ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger took political position, there have been a slew of his old films resurfacing for special edition DVD release, and
whether this is a coincidence or intentional audiences have only to gain. Red Heat, a buddy cop film from the late eighties is the latest release, and is actually one of Arnold’s better performances. Despite somewhat disappointing theatrical success Red Heat is also one of the better buddy cop films that came out consistently at that time, and a far step up from the ones we’ve seen recently.

Schwarzenegger plays Russian Police Captain Ivan Danko who follows drug smuggler Viktor Rosta into the United States after watching his partner die
at the hands of the criminal. Once Danko arrives in America, they quickly pair him up with Chicago cop, and comedic relief artist Art Ridzik, played
by the always sarcastic James Belushi.

Most of the plot would seem predictable to audiences today after being attacked with at least three buddy cop films a year since the release of Red Heat in 1988, but despite the lack of surprise the film will still be entertaining for anyone that loves the action/comedy genre.

In many films that Schwarzenegger attempted to star in without backup he delivered the one-liners and it wasn’t always a success. Arnold’s strong
point has always been his strength, and that is exactly what he focuses on in Red Heat. Belushi takes care of the comedy which is easily bounced off of the hardened Russian cop. It also helps that Arnold plays a visitor from another country, making it much easier to believe he fits in the settings,
while giving the film a fish-out-of-water twist as well.

Despite the fairly large amount of action and effective comedy Red Heat has been one of the films that is almost always guaranteed to be on the shelf in your local video store. There is no shortage of buddy cop films and audiences hardly look to the eighties when trying to find a source of
entertainment for the night, especially when someone else has done the same thing more recently.

The cast also includes Peter Boyle, who has made himself notorious as of late for his portrayal as Frank on Everybody Loves Raymond, and Laurence
Fishburne. While the cast is impressive, it’s an action film, so we usually only pay attention to the characters that carry guns, and Arnold is carrying
one that should be well known to American audiences.

The DVD itself has some good features, but there isn’t a great deal more than what the 1999 DVD release had. There are some special features which
are worth watching, but for the most part it isn’t that special of a special edition. It almost seems like a scheme these days to call a DVD special
edition just to attract consumers, and it works on me every time.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
o Available subtitles: English, Spanish
o Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby
Digital 2.0 Surround)
o Remastered print
o "East Meets West" featurette
o "Bennie Dobbins: A Stunt Man for All Seasons" featurette
o "I'm Not Russian, But I Play One on TV: Ed O'Ross
o "Making of" TV special
o Trailers and TV spots

Ryan Izay

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