Heat

I didn't realize that film was made in '86, a year for film that I loved. The cover makes the film looks more than it is, which it isn't. This is a 90+ minute film that doesn't use too many scenes (for some just drag) or story structure that basically goes out the window for the stretch, and we wonder what the hell. And we kind of wonder what Burt is doing in this too. I mean if you're interested in watching Burt (a private eye here) win, and blow ten grand, go ahead. It's kind of interesting, especially Burt losing so bad, it causes the dealer and good friend (Scarwid) to draw tears. The paper thin revenge tale (oh, yes this from a book) of course is set in Vegas, where a close lady friend of Burt's (Young) has been up pretty bad by these three guys, two real beefy, and we know how dangerous Burt can get when provoked, causing him to do some really serious damage, the other guy, a thin sissy, faggoty type with ties to the mafia. Him and Burt meet late together in the Mafia chambers, you could say, but prefore to this, and after he does some irreparable damage, he takes some nice bundles of cash, which he gives to his avenged lady friend, who watches the show Burt gives, then skips town, where a new client, (Ally McBeal's Peter MaCnichol) befriends Burt, looking to him as his teacher, trying to make him stronger, than the whining loser he is. I really did like the scenes between these two. Yes, this is a film that will disappoint a lot of viewers, with high expectations, where they brought down, bad, but give it some more views. Very well shot, some moments near the end are shot very dark, bringing to mind the shot torture scene in Sharky's Machine.

I used to be a 21 dealer in Nevada and "Heat" is one of the best films about the gambling mentality. Very realistic. Karen Young's performance was great. Reynolds in one of his better roles and Peter MacNichol offers indications of things to come. I rate it a 7.

Reynolds did a few lame ducks in the 80's, but this is not one of them. The movie takes place in Las Vegas and is complex with several sub-plots and character undertones.

Burt plays an Ex-Special Forces Op turned gambling addict that hires out in solving various problems for his clients. Everything from bodyguard to that of playing the role of fall guy for a weakling trying to impress his girlfriend to that of helping a rape victim friend seek revenge against the son of a wealthy syndicated mobster. There are also profound scenes that depict his gambling addiction.

Great cast and acting, decently written and directed, and a music score that captures the appropriate atmosphere to this darker side of life on The Strip.

6.5/10

Other overlooked winners by Reynolds in the 80's include: Sharkey's Machine, Stick, Malone, Physical Evidence, and Breaking-In.

"Heat" is an exceptional, vigorous and agile film, that counts with an efficient cast and a brilliant and structured story in a correct way. In this world where everybody looks for pleasures without limits, Nick Escaliente (magnificently interpreted by Burt Reynolds), a veteran combatant from Vietnam, specialist in martial arts, tries to win a lot of money in the casinos of Nevada. In his side, there are two inseparable friends, a boy (Peter MacNicol, also excellent and funny) and a prostitute. When his friend is murdered, Escaliente decides to show all his ferocity and his know-how in the martial arts, and to kill the mafioso ones. Reynolds is brilliant, and at the same time frightening as a man who carries inside of him a lot of hate and he riots and he is always ready to explode!the sequences where he avenges the friends' death and he beats to the end his enemies is of a violence and explicit plasticity. The director doesn't lose the control of the plot, and it drives the intrigue with a surgical precision, showing that the distance between the exaggerated violence and the happiness is short and fragile. I affirm that "Heat" is a "current" western, because the story happens in a dangerous and lawless Las Vegas, where the smallest negligence can mean the end!and "Heat" portrays this city with fidelity and professionalism, offering a plausible, pleasant and unforgettable show!this film really needs to be seen, appreciated and applauded!Burt Reynolds respects, as always, his fans, and he offers his more common acting: the solitary man, tough, charming, cynic and extremely lethal, who is always in the limit. The film seems to have been done in the measure for the star, and it still reaches its objective, guaranteed a hallucinating, explosive and touching day in Las Vegas!rent it, and you will understand why!!!

One of Burt Reynold's best performances. Having said that, the movie has some definite shortcomings. Mex's dreams of Venice seem awfully thin. The part where he interacts with MacNichols is much better than the Mafia stuff that the film degenerates into. All in all, however, a much better film than you'd think. (for all its obscurity)