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City Heat
(1984)
  
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Directed
by:
Richard
Benjamin |
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COUNTRY
USA |
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GENRE
Crime/Comedy |
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NORWEGIAN TITLE
- |
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RUNNING
TIME
97 minutes |
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Produced
by:
Fritz Manes |
Written by:
Blake Edwards
Joseph C. Stinson |
Review
Pairing up perhaps the two biggest
movie stars on the planet over the past 5-10 years should have been
a guarantee for success, but the noirish crime-comedy City Heat
began its languish in obscurity rather quickly after a modest
box-office run. One of the reasons may be that the stars both appear
weary each in their own way. Burt Reynolds broke his jaw on one of
the first days of shooting – an injury he reportedly struggled with
for the rest of his life – and, as a result, his character looks
weathered and drugged-out beneath his brave charm (incidentally, a
look that isn’t altogether unfitting for a hard-boiled, 1930s
private eye). Clint Eastwood is a lot more uninspired and does very
little with his part, other than looking menacing and delivering the
occasional scripted one-liner. You get the impression that he might
have enjoyed his scenes with Reynolds more if his ego had let him
play second fiddle. Additionally, the project was halted by a change
of directors in pre-production, reportedly because Eastwood didn’t
get along with writer and original director Blake Edwards. Despite
all this, City Heat is largely an enjoyable film. Reynolds’
one-liners and impeccable delivery constantly liven up the scenes
he’s in, and the crime plot isn't half bad. With its many thugs and
character entanglements, it has the audacity to balance just on the
edge of overly convoluted, effectively steering clear of clichés in
the process. Given that you are partial to the genre mix of
light-hearted comedy and 1930s mobster action, this
all-but-forgotten film may still do the trick.
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