Cardiac Arrest

A murderer is on the loose and the citizens of San Francisco are frightened.As the police become baffled by the case,the city's only hope is an unconventional sleuth played by Garry Goodrow.Like the other reviewer said this film is a huge disappointment.It lacks scares and gore and is really boring.Avoid this one at all costs!

Who is Garry Goodrow, may you ask? I only remembered him, as the sleazy smart talker, Berrudi, in the 83's hit Breathless. But this film, he's running the show, and I'm glad. Most of the film's enjoyment, I got out of his cop character, but he's playing more true to life, as in the character, but of course he's not the most conventional cop. Hey, if he wasn't, we wouldn't have as good a movie. C.A. does show moments of Amateurville, with not the greatest script for starters. Watching it last night, it looks very old now, kind of 70's film noir, which it is, but I'm saying, if the film was made today, and set in that period. The engaging film, which I 'spose could of made better use of it's great story, which today of course would seem old hat or tiresome, has people being butchered, and their hearts missing. The killer or killers responsible, have very expensive motives let say, and I'll leave the story there, and you can fill in the rest. Yes this is an oldie, but it's a good one, you should witness. It is though, and I really re-iterate here, Goodrow's presence and his show that engages you. For a cop, he doesn't have the strongest stomach. His girlfriend cop, dinkying him on her three wheeler bike, is a hoot, or watching him devour a sandwich with his Asian colleague, and their arguing differences were great, if only getting better dialogue. A real medical cop thriller, that's a heart starter.

I used to love afternoon detective shows. Columbo, Quincy, Ironside, even the newer crop like Diagnosis Murder and Monk. Murder mysteries, kooky maverick investigators and everything wrapped up in a speedy blast of low key suspense and twists. Cardiac Arrest is reminiscent of that whole realm of television, but it's stretched out over 93 minutes and has little suspense or flair. A sensational plot (heart theft, medical skulduggery) gives way to uninspired filler, underpowered acting and a distinct lack of thrills, TV movie level direction keeps this crawling along at the bare minimum pace required to keep from flatlining and the premise goes sadly wasted. At least Garry Goodrow is fairly good value as the cop investigating; he does his level best with the material, projecting a certain neat sense of kooky dedication. Michael Paul Chan is also solid as his refreshingly cliché free Asian partner. Max Gail and Susan O'Connell emote to the best of their abilities as a couple who get involved, there's a brief appearance for a young Fred Ward, side roles by and large make little to no impression or are simply hammy. A modicum of interest is provided by the late 70's San Francisco setting, in intervening years such city-scapes and their portrayal on film has perhaps changed forever, with its resolute ordinariness the film gains a certain time capsule quality. Also it's almost interesting to watch a film with realistic, human characters pretty much across the board, people that aren't glamorous, that make mistakes and don't seem to yell "I'm in a movie" by their very presence. But both these points still need some kind of underlying tension and there just isn't any so the film falls almost wholly flat. Its just dull, dull viewing, it picks up in the final quarter hour or so but its too little too late. The length really hurts this one, at half its length it could be a good TV episode, at 70 to 75 minutes it could have been a good pilot episode, but at over an hour and a half there just isn't enough there, and the characters don't stand out enough for any digressions (such as the hero interrupted whilst with his girlfriend) to work. I don't like to rag on films like this, for I enjoy cinema at most levels of quality, but this really was a stinker and not one that I would recommend to, well anyone.

Erroneously advertised as a horror movie, this is in fact a DETECTIVE DRAMA; it might solicit praise from "Monk" or "Columbo" fans not simply because its paced as a TV movie or an extended teleplay, but because a lot of time is spent on the development of humane characters with real fallibility. The mystery takes time to unravel, and it does so in a reasonably realistic and tasteful manner. In an ocean of conflated stereotypes, stilted scripts and nerve-wracking formulas, watching a subdued, 70s-style drama like this one can be quite pleasant. Moreover, however slow or lacking in suspense, no one will say that this story bores with its predictability.

That's it! With God as my witness (hmm, maybe Satan would make a better witness in my case), this is the absolute last time I allow an appealing VHS-cover to fool and trick me into watching a movie that is generally – and righteously - considered as a huge piece of crap. "Cardiac Arrest" is downright unendurable 80's junk and, maybe it's just me, but there's something seriously wrong with the plot. The lousy excuse for a "film" opens and continues with the investigation of a couple of murder cases where the hearts have been surgically removed from the victims' bodies, only … we didn't see the murders happening! Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the point of horror films to show the violence and blood? This is more like a comedy with homicide coppers puking each time they encounter a corpse and that sort of lame things. "Cardiac Arrest" is a totally senseless and incoherent piece of crap with lousy characters, irritating dialogs, a dreadfully boring pace and – as said before – no gore. I made a rookie mistake picking out this film for its cover, and I'm trying to make the pain go away by advising others to avoid it like the plague. Suffering from a cardiac arrest yourself even looks like more fun.