City Heat

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jane Alexander, Madeline Kahn, Rip Torn, Irene Cara, Richard Roundtree
Directed by: Richard Benjamin
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Comedy
1984

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A private eye (Burt Reynolds) and a cop (Clint Eastwood) clash while they work together to solve a kidnapping, a murder, and other crimes linked to gangsters in the 1930s.

Review:

Tim: I was interested in seeing this movie for a number of reasons. It is the first (and I believe, only) pairing of Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. That's pretty cool. In addition, it's an action comedy that works as a spoof of gangster movies from the 1940s. Plus, the movie is set in 1933, which I thought was an interesting twist to the film. In short, I had decent-sized hopes for this movie. Unfortunately, those were all quickly dashed.

The biggest problem with this movie is the story. It tries to be a twisting, turning, complex tale with gangsters, cops, dames, and private eyes all converging together. However, it's often sloppily handled. There's never any real sense of purpose or urgency to the film. In fact, it's oftentimes rather boring. We see Eastwood, Reynolds, and the rest of the cast all going back and forth, shooting up the place, and it all feels ultimately pointless. There was never a clear reason for anything. The whole movie feels quickly slapped together. It was very disappointing.

Looking past the very weak story, my favorite part of the film is the pairing of Eastwood and Reynolds. These two men were the biggest box office stars in the world at the time of this film's release. They are genuinely good together, as their two very different styles compliment each other nicely. They have a number of very funny exchanges. I actually laughed at a number of them. It was very fun to watch two actors at the top of their game working together. The humor between these two was one of the better parts of this movie.

The action is actually pretty decent, too. There are a number of gunfights throughout the film, some which go on far longer than necessary, but were still fun to watch. I wouldn't say anything is particularly special about these scenes, but I appreciated the focus on these. Although not extraordinary, I'm interested any time Eastwood picks up and gun with the intent to shoot somebody. The action scenes also typically presented the cast with some opportunities for more humorous moments. It was a nice balance.

While the actors were good, the action decent, and the comedy strong, the film is just plagued by a confusing, ineffective script. I could never fully get into the movie. While it was decently entertaining, it's ultimately a letdown. I'm glad I watched this movie to see Eastwood and Reynolds together, but I didn't particularly like it.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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