Red Heat
Short description
A Soviet police officer, Ivan Danko, is sent to Chicago to track down a Georgian drug trafficker who killed his partner and fled to the United States. Once there, he is paired with a loud, wisecracking American detective, Art Ridzik, whose methods could hardly be more different from his own. The two must work together to recapture the fugitive after he escapes during a transfer and to stop a large drug deal from going ahead.
Walter Hill directed and co-wrote the film, his eleventh of twenty-two features in chronological order, following Extreme Prejudice and preceding Johnny Handsome. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Danko opposite Jim Belushi as Ridzik, with Peter Boyle, Ed O'Ross, Laurence Fishburne and Gina Gershon in supporting roles. The production, made by TriStar Pictures and Carolco Pictures among others, cost 29 million dollars and returned about 35 million worldwide.
Released on June 17, 1988, the film runs 104 minutes. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.1 from around 81,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 from roughly 1,700 votes. A critics' score of 5.4 from 27 reviews places it slightly below the audience ratings.
What's left behind the scenes
- In one scene, Danko discusses the problem of heroin in America. He also names a place in the US where this problem is most acute – Harlem, but in the English subtitles, this location is indicated as Miami.
- It took the filmmakers six months to obtain permission to film in Red Square. They were allowed to film in the very center of Moscow only because the main character of the film was Russian.
- Before filming began, Walter Hill asked Arnold Schwarzenegger to lose 4.5 kg, and James Belushi to gain the same amount.
- Around 200 prisoners were used as extras for filming the prison scene.
- Before filming began, Arnold Schwarzenegger took Russian language lessons for three months.
- The film is dedicated to the memory of stunt coordinator Benny Dobbins, who died of a heart attack on the set of this film.
- It took the filmmakers six months to obtain permission to shoot on Red Square. They were only granted permission because the main character was Russian.
- The name and signature preceding Ivan Danko's in the hotel guestbook belong to Jim Morrison, the leader of The Doors.
- The drug dealer dressed in a white suit whom Rostaveli met at the bus station is named Lupo. He is the same Lupo from the film "Extreme Measures" (1987): he appears at the very end of the film, after Nick Nolte's character has shot Powers Boothe's character.
- Filming began on August 26, 1987, and took place in the USA, Hungary, and the USSR. Most of the Moscow scenes were filmed in Hungary.
- Before filming began, Walter Hill asked Arnold Schwarzenegger to lose 10 pounds (approximately 4.5 kg), and James Belushi to gain 10 pounds.
- In the coffee shop, Rydzyk shows Danko various police reports that he needs to fill out. If you look closely at the form shown in close-up, you can see its title – "Useless Chicago Police Incident Report".
- Before filming began, James Belushi spent two weeks working at a Chicago police station.
- Ivan Danko (Schwarzenegger) uses a "Podberin 9.2mm" pistol. This pistol does not actually exist. What is shown in the film is a modified Desert Eagle Magnum.
- The first Western film whose crew was permitted to film on Red Square in Moscow.
- The music in the opening and closing credits is a fragment of Prokofiev’s “Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution,” which is not mentioned in the credits.
- In the coffee shop, Reedick shows Danko various police reports that he needs to fill out. The form reads: “Useless Chicago Police Department Incident Report.”
- Most of the Moscow scenes were actually filmed in Hungary.
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