In 1984, Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood were two of the biggest box office draws in Hollywood. So, teaming them in "City Heat" seems like a no brainer...a sure fire hit. 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. His partner is foolish...and tries to blackmail some gangsters. Not surprisingly, he's soon killed and these same folks think Murphy knows about the blackmail...and decide to kill him. However, he is totally in the dark on all this and just wants to be left alone. 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. Instead of teaming them up at the start, they don't start actually working together until late in the movie. Additionally, Reynolds' dialog is clichéd and Eastwood's is practically non-existent (zombie-like I might venture to say). It's crazy but halfway decent writing AND some sense of enthusiasm and fun by the two stars would have helped this one a lot! As it is, it's a film I'd only recommend to folks who love the two actors and simply watch anything and everything they made. Otherwise, it wouldn't be hard to do better.
By the way, the idea of a black and white man working together as partners is nice...but it's also a 1980s idea...something you simply wouldn't have found in the 1930s when this story is set. Also, the shootout scene is incredibly dumb. They were only standing about 50 feet apart and fired hundreds of shots...yet NO ONE is shot?! Huh?! A whole lotta effort but no connection...it sounds like the plot and characters as well.
Mike Murphy (Reynolds) is a private eye who used to be a cop. His partner is foolish...and tries to blackmail some gangsters. Not surprisingly, he's soon killed and these same folks think Murphy knows about the blackmail...and decide to kill him. However, he is totally in the dark on all this and just wants to be left alone. 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. Instead of teaming them up at the start, they don't start actually working together until late in the movie. Additionally, Reynolds' dialog is clichéd and Eastwood's is practically non-existent (zombie-like I might venture to say). It's crazy but halfway decent writing AND some sense of enthusiasm and fun by the two stars would have helped this one a lot! As it is, it's a film I'd only recommend to folks who love the two actors and simply watch anything and everything they made. Otherwise, it wouldn't be hard to do better.
By the way, the idea of a black and white man working together as partners is nice...but it's also a 1980s idea...something you simply wouldn't have found in the 1930s when this story is set. Also, the shootout scene is incredibly dumb. They were only standing about 50 feet apart and fired hundreds of shots...yet NO ONE is shot?! Huh?! A whole lotta effort but no connection...it sounds like the plot and characters as well.