Heat (1986)

★ 5.7 1h 41m 56 votes IMDb

Reynolds plays an ex-soldier-of-fortunish character in Vegas, taking "Chaperone" jobs, fighting with the mob, and trying to get enough money together to move to Venice, Italy.

Heat

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Cast

Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds as Nick 'Mex' Escalante Died 2018 · Lansing, Michigan, USA Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, director, and producer, considered a sex symbol and icon of American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to pr...
Karen Young
Karen Young as Holly Age 67 · Pequannock, New Jersey, USA Karen Young (born 29 September 1958) is an American actress. Born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, Young studied at Rutgers University. After graduation she moved to New York City and became an ac...
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol as Cyrus Kinnick Age 72 · Dallas, Texas, USA Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play Crimes of the Heart. His film roles include Galen in Dragonslayer (1981), Stingo in Sophi...
Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman as Pinchus Zion Died 2022 · Lebanon, Oregon, USA Howard Hesseman (February 27, 1940 – January 29, 2022) was an American actor known for his television roles as burned out disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati, and the lead role of histo...
Neill Barry
Neill Barry as Danny DeMarco Age 60 · New York City, New York, United States Neill Barry (born November 30, 1965) is an American film, television and stage actor, as well as an occasional screenwriter. He made his acting debut at the age of thirteen in Hero at Large. He co-wr...
Diana Scarwid
Diana Scarwid as Cassie Age 70 · Savannah, Georgia, USA Diana Elizabeth Scarwid (born August 27, 1955) is a retired American actress, best known for her portrayal of adult Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1980). She received nominations for the Academ...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 7/10 Sep 29, 2018
The showgirls have moustaches and the waitresses can rip the phone book in half!

This Burt Reynolds starrer had a very troubled production, with punches thrown and inevitable walk outs, it's no surprise to find this is hardly a great film. However, it's not as some would have you believe, a chaotic turd either.

The password is later!

Plot has Reynolds as Nick Escalante, he's an ex-mercenary working out of Las Vegas as a bodyguard for hire - amongst other things. When a lady of the night who he has paternal regard for is brutally beaten and sexually dehumanised, it brings Nick into conflict with a young gangster pretender with organised crime connections. All this as Nick battles his gambling addiction whilst trying to achieve his goal of moving to Venice, Italy, for his five year plan.

You're a peach of a guy. You're "A" number one. You're a swell fella.

Adapted by William Goldman from his own novel of the same name, Heat often threatens to be a very good picture. The characterisations are rich and interesting, the setting ripe for dark deeds and dream shattering, and Reynolds is in fine form. Reynolds was still a star, even if the films he was starting to make in the 80s didn't come close to matching his status. He is badly let down by some very creaky and daft action sequences here, why the director (Dick Richards/Jerry Jameson) didn't just do real time man to man combat is as mysterious as the resultant offering is daft.

I made $7 million dollars on my 28th birthday. Don't call me kid.

Whilst the screenplay lacks action (do not enter this one expecting an action fest), the script does have some weighty merit where Nick's interactions with others is concerned, none more so than with Peter MacNicol's (superb) Cyrus Kinnick. He's afraid of being afraid, enlisting Nick to give him a crash course in bravery. They are an odd pairing, but crucial to each other, they give the film its deft slices of humour, and simultaneously holding the key as to why Heat is not a bad film at all.

Michael Gibbs layers some smart sultry jazz music over proceedings, befitting the Vegas setting, while James Contner's cinematography is also tonally compliant to the sort of desperation feeling permeating the plot. Howard Hesseman and Diana Scarwid aren't given enough time to impact greatly, but at least Karen Young as Holly (lady of the night) strikes the right chords. Unfortunately Neill Barry as chief villain Danny DeMarco is implausibly poor and irritating into the bargain.

Enjoyment of Heat possibly hangs on if you happen to be a Reynolds fan, to get entertainment from watching him hold court. Viewed as a strong character piece with Reynolds front and center it passes muster, but if looking for something more then you could end up - like many already have- disappointed. 7/10
JPV852 5/10 Apr 24, 2023
Had a couple okay moments and Burt Reynolds's charisma made it watchable, but the plot was muddy and I just didn't think it was very entertaining, which was pretty much my opinion of Wild Card which was also based on William Goldman's novel. **2.5/5**

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