Delta Heat: Dans le feu de l'action

Yes, charismatic cult actor Lance Henriksen was basically the one and only reason I decided to watch "Delta Heat". Luckily he plays one of the leading roles - with verve, as always - and he even has a hook for a hand! Well, more like a tool, really, as he still has his hand but it's severely traumatized due to a drug-bust gone bad which had him landing in a river, after an explosion sent him off flying, where his arm got munched on by a crocodile. A strangely edited flash-back scene in slow-motion that was! But yeah, whatever.

Was this movie any good? Yes and no. Parts of it play out like a cop-buddy kind of film, with Anthony Edwards & Lance Henriksen teaming up to find out who killed Edwards' partner and what all is going on with the alleged drug trafficking in the swamps. They both had okay chemistry together, so I didn't mind that. The kind of mystery plot wasn't too bad either; you basically have to figure out who the bad guys are along with the puzzling enigma surrounding the character of Forbes, the supposedly dead & crazy drug-lord. The 'guess what's going on' aspect was fairly good constructed as well. But what absolutely didn't work, was the humorous approach to numerous events. A hook-joke here, a witty line there, Edwards getting all his suits messed up, etc. And to make it worse, the musical score tried too hard to make it obvious that we're supposed to find this funny.

One thing that did freak me out rather immensely though... I have to be careful how I put this or I might give away too much plot info... Let's just say at one point we get to see a severely deformed human being. The dude freaked me out completely. And while trying to wrap my head around the fact how they managed to pull off his looks with conventional make-up sfx, I completely overlooked the obvious... That was a latex dummy? I guess the image on my VHS tape was a bit blurry, because I got fooled over this one. I guess it had to be a dummy, or otherwise they must have found some seriously messed up extra out there in the Louisiana swamps...

But in general, this is just the okay film to watch on a cold & rainy, Sunday afternoon. Luckily, I might add, the sensual & sexy Betsy Russel was a welcome apparition and sure heated up some scenes. I just figured out she's also starring in the last five "Saw" films or so (together with Shawnee Smith - there's another beauty from the past), so I guess that's as good as any reason to finally check them all out.

This is just an overall fun movie. Anthony Edwards plays a hot shot LA detective out for avenge his partner's murder. His scearch leads to New Orleans where he gets help from Lance Henriksen, a former detective who now lives in a swamp. Henriksen and Edwards are outstanding in this buddy-cop flick which I highly recommend. You'll also get to see a very sexy Betsy Russell of Saw fame in a early, and revealing, role. Is it "high brow" or groundbreaking? Absolutely not. It's a cheesy cop thriller with a very tongue-and-cheek tone. It just knows how to have a good time without taking itself too seriously. Plus, if you're a Lance Henriksen fan like me it's an added bonus.

I wasn't expecting much more than a B-rated (or less) cop drama. An L.A. cop (Anthony Edwards) gets knee deep in mud and crayfish in New Orleans looking for the drug lord that killed his partner. There, he partners up with one of a former cop (Lance Henriksen) with a hook.

This movie was far too long and the story never really picks up. L.A. and Lousinana cop just go about roughing up their leads.

There are a few funny moments. While Edwards plays the loose, cocky L.A. Cop, Henriksen is a little like Robert Shaw's charater on Jaws. He's full of witty sarcasm and has his own local way doing things. And there's a running gag of Edwards always messing up his suit.

It is also speckled with bad acting from background characters. It might have played out better as a television show.

Look for the character, Forbes (after the flashback), the infamous drug lord. For the short while he is in the movie, it is not an actor, but a very obvious latex dummy. Why they just didn't get one of the camera men to get on a grey wig? At least they would have blinked.

A film long ago forgotten by all except maybe fans of the two leading men, 'Delta Heat' has the imprint of everything that goes along with a buddy cop flick from the early 90's. A mismatched pair of men who couldn't be more different. Big city to small. Drugs. Murder. Whodunit.

Bishop's (Anthony Edwards) partner gets killed in New Orleans trying to track down the origins of a new drug hitting LA. He comes to town to avenge him, get to the bottom of things, etc. Gets teamed up with a local ex-cop Rivers (Lance Henriksen) who has a hook for one hand after an incident with a crocodile. You get the picture.

I like Anthony "Goose" Edwards, but I really tracked this one down for Lance. He gets into his role. The hook, the Cajon accent and the silly proceedings. However 'Delta Heat' was a one time view. The chemistry isn't bad, but Edwards polished LA cop - suits, ear ring, haircut - routine got old. The change in scenery isn't enough to salvage the story which is simply a snore. The comedy doesn't land.

Any Lance Henriksen movie is worth a look, and there are quite a few to look at. Some are unwatchable like "Sasquatch Mountain", then there are the overlooked gems like "Delta Heat". Sure it's another mismatched buddy cop film, but the humor is there, the plot is acceptable with a twist ending, Lance Henriksen plays a colorful swamp rat perfectly, and the film has definite entertainment value. If a movie entertains, then the mediocre acting, humongous plot holes, and low budget really don't matter. Another plus here is the great Louisiana location filming, and an appropriate soundtrack. "Delta Heat" is a winner in the "B'movie sweepstakes. - MERK