Jogo Bruto

In Arnold's best period of his film career, it is unquestionable that Raw Deal is his worst film from that era. Sandwiched between two of his best action movies, Commando and Predator. Raw Deal is real weak by comparison. The film is a mess and it seemed that those involved with the production could not agree on what they were making. Also, it would appear that funds were too low for anyone's vision to get on screen. The editing and music for this movie is really poorly done. This film is definitely lacking in a consistent tone or focus. The action scenes seem out of place as well. Raw Deal was probably meant to be a low budget police thriller. Any way you slice it, this film is not a cohesive piece of work and is filled with plot holes. Arnold, at this point in his career had massive physicality and charisma. However, he was lacking in acting skills and was horrendous in the more dramatic scenes here. The supporting cast was pretty good for the most part. Even though this is not Arnie's highest quality production, it still remains fairly entertaining. There is quite a bit of funny stuff here(some intentional and some not). Also, there is plenty of Arnold one liners with one of my favorites, "You should not drink and bake". While Raw Deal is not a well made movie, it is not totally unwatchable and is still quite amusing and outrageous.

Raw Deal is saved from being barely a five out of ten, to a solid six literally by the last half of this film which turns in a typical, rather campy action, vengeance follow up that redeems the rather drab slow moving plot of the rest of the film. Say what you will about Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man's films have grossed well over two and a half BILLION dollars in an almost four decade career. Now I will grant that some bad actors pull off some lucky films but practically every film this man stars in rakes in the cash from the infamous and classic Terminator films to Jingle All The Way (which by the way grossed over 100 million dollars.) It's true that his acting range is limited but Arnold has two incredible things going for him...his personality both on screen and off and he is a bad ass. He's the perfect action hero, when someone says action hero, you think Schwarzenegger!! He's built like a brick wall, has the face of an angry man and that trademark voice. If he can't blow it up put him in an unusual situation so that it's funny (ie: Pregnant, Kingergarten Teacher, twin to a 4 foot high fat man) and you've got gold. Raw Deal isn't quite that gold but it still is during his high time as the action King.

Raw Deal is a stereotypical story of a former FBI man who goes undercover for a personal vendetta on behalf of his mentor and best friend. The story is a little slow and spends far too much time establishing all these supposed drama between the two warring mob factions, the Patrovita crime family, and the Lamanski crime family. This film isn't a drama and should have just been about the action but instead director John Irvin tries to make it more of a tale than it needs to be. Schwarzenegger's cover is ridiculous and they barely spend any time setting it up which is only noticeable because of the slow break in him KILLING THINGS!!! Plot holes are not noticeable if there lots of gory action especially in an eighties flick!! But finally Schwarzenegger has had his fill and goes on a rampage wiping out both families and getting his revenge. The acting from everyone involved in the film is sub standard and extremely campy. The film will always be a classic likely for it's campy special effects and downright absurd action scenes. Schwarzenegger sprays a machine gun like a bottle of windex. The explosions and gunfire is also done with campy goodness so fans of that type of film will love this. You can't help but watch Schwarzenegger, he's just fun...he always looks like he's having a great time. Raw Deal is not one of his best by any means but it's not bad and if you're a fan of the eighties action genre like I am or even just Schwarzenegger himself than you need to see this one. But if you're not a fan and you're just looking for an action film, steer clear of this one because there is far better out there. This one falls face first for most of it and only recovers in the later half of the film. 6/10

I have been soaking up a lot of vicarious aggression lately with Van Damme, Stallone, and Ahnuld. I bet a lot of Arnie's fans have missed this little gem. No, we don't look for quality here, but Schwarzenegger does a credible job of acting and he keeps throwing out these funny lines that keep you in stitches.

Nothing original here - failed FBI agent, now small town Sheriff (think Bruce Willis in Hostage or Striking Distance, Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone, or many others who are out in the cold because of their screw-ups or someone's evil deed - called to infiltrate the mob and bring them down.

You know Arnie's going to get the job done with muscle and firepower. He even manages a little romance - damn little - with Kathryn Harrold.

Paybacks are hell!

I own this movie. Well, I own most of Arnold's movies. But I've only watched this one 3 or 4 times over the last decade. It's not a great movie although I think I enjoy it a little bit more with each viewing. The flick does have its moments. I like the interplay between Max and Brenner. And Arnold plays a very cool Mafia-like guy. The ending -- if you could even call it that -- is terrible. Did the script say, "Insert ending here"? Nevertheless, I liked the action even if it was corny at times. And the style of the movie grows on you with each viewing. I give it a 6/10 for been slightly more enjoyable than average.

A routine 80s action film elevated considerably by the presence of then rising star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Raw Deal is one of Arnold's earlier screen appearances, and more forgotten action movies.

There's really nothing to set it apart. A super cop taking down a gang of criminals. That's the plot. The undercover plot was interesting, but there was a weird abundance of plot for such a bland-looking action film.

The action scenes are the film's strength for sure. The action abounds here, with a great opening shootout, car/motorcycle chase, bar fight, alley fight, store fight, car chase, and the long climax consisting of two long and awesome shootouts. There's a long shootout where Arnold drives around in a car shooting fools to the tune of "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones. The best part? He puts the tape into the player at the start of the scene.

This is a severely blood-soaked action film, even by 80s standards, with lots of bloody violence. It's a little excessive. It also has an underrated acting performance from Arnold, a cool rocky 80s theme, and one of the best gear-up scenes ever. It's almost as good as the one in Chumbo Grosso (2007).

Definitely give it a watch if you're an Arnold fan, or even an 80s action junkie. I still can't get over the greatness of the gloriously OTT final shootouts. This movie is painfully Arnold, and I love it.