Sunday, January 30, 2011

Script review – “Red Heat” by Troy Kennedy Martin and Walter Hill

Martin and Hill are two of the most talented screenwriters to work in the 70s and 80s but their teaming on this cop film produced just another buddy cop film. The twist is one of the cops is Russian – glasnost didn’t just bring the Russians coca-cola, it also meant their fictitious cops could chase after drug dealers who’ve killed their partner by teaming up with a mismatched American. The American also loses his partner because of the same baddy – hijinks ensure. The American character Ridzik is a real nothing – just another American cop. Which is a shame, giving him more shade would have given more meat to his interaction with Danko.
Danko is super-strong, humorously dry, and studly (he bangs his female superior). There’s a very homoerotic opening sequence, a fight in a steam bath, but apart from that imagination is thin on the ground: the captain complains and threatens to take the heroes badhes, there’s drugs and black gang members and hookers who are topless when cops burst in, car crashes, banter. There’s not enough culture clash of Danko in America and not enough warmth, humour or interesting action sequences. A very dull buddy cop film.

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